Dreaming With A Broken Heart
by Carly-M
Summary: Caroline's elated when 'Tyler' returns to town. So why can't she stop dreaming about a certain other hybrid? Post 3x22 fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dreaming With A Broken Heart  
**Author:** Carly  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Caroline/Klaus (and Caroline/'Tyler' for plot reasons)  
**Spoilers:** Up to the end of Season 3  
**Rating/Warnings:** T for now  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Vampire Diaries.  
**Summary:** Caroline has no idea what she's in for when 'Tyler' returns to town.  
**Notes:** My first TVD fic, thanks to the allure of Caroline & Klaus. To keep true to Caroline's character, there's going to be a fair amount of Caroline & Tyler too (or should I say "Tyler"), but Caroline & Klaus is where my heart lies. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Caroline nudged her empty glass across the counter. "Another drink barkeep."

"I'm pretty sure you've had enough vodka for tonight, Care," said Matt gently, flicking a dishcloth over his shoulder.

"Who resigned and made you the alcohol police?" she retorted with a slight slur, resting her head on her hand. "Just one more… Please?"

"Look, you may have my boss compelled to turn the other way, but if the _real_ police show up they're going to wonder why you're so wasted off all this 'water' I've been giving you."

"Then I'll just compel them too," she shrugged.

"Oh it's that easy, huh?" said Matt, leaning on the counter to meet her gaze. "So your mom and the rest of the cops aren't on vervain anymore?"

Caroline stared at him, hating the way the corner of his mouth was twitching into a smile. "Shut up, Matt," she sighed. "Why can't you just be a normal bartender who only worries about his tip jar? Or at least, like, one of those fancy ones from _Cocktail_ who can do tricks."

"You've seen my tricks, remember?" he smiled. "Broken whiskey bottles ringing any bells? That's where most of my tip money went."

She batted her eyelashes. "And I will tip you more if you bring me more vodka."

"I'm lucky they let me serve here in the first place, OK," he implored. "Don't make it harder on me." He attempted another smile. "I mean, how else am I supposed to save up for a new truck?"

Caroline caught the fragile undertones in his voice and reached out her fingers to carefully touch the scar near his right temple. "Does it still hurt?" she asked quietly.

Matt let her hand linger for a few seconds before pulling away and standing up straight. "I think it always will," he murmured.

"Her choice would have been the same every time," said Caroline gently, fiddling with a charm on her bracelet. "You know that, right?"

He slowly nodded. "It doesn't make the guilt any easier though." Shoulders sagging with defeat, Matt grabbed two shot glasses and filled them both with vodka. He downed one before handing the other to Caroline. "Have you heard from Elena?"

Caroline threw back the shot and wiped her mouth. "Briefly. She gave me the 'I'm fine' spiel, but there's nothing fine about adjusting to fangs, believe me."

"At least she's got Jeremy and the Salvatores with her at the cabin while she's working through everything. That's got to count for something, right?"

"I hope so. I told Stefan to keep me posted." Caroline held out her shot glass with a hopeful look. "One more for the road?"

Matt took the glass from her but put it straight into the sink. Cleaning his hands on the cloth, he strode around the counter to stand in front of her. "It's been almost three weeks, Care. Is this really how you're going to keep spending your nights?"

She felt the sudden onslaught of tears threating to spill down her face. "What else am I supposed to do, Matt?" she said, voice cracking. "Elena's gone, Bonnie's acting weird and barely returning my calls, you're working around the clock and Tyler…" she swallowed hard. "For some stupid, shitty reason we're all still alive and he's not, so yeah, this is how I'm spending my nights." Before she could break down entirely, she felt her body being enveloped in a hug.

"It's going to get better. I promise," said Matt, giving her a squeeze.

Caroline leant back and dabbed at her eyes. "The only promise I want to hear is our pinky promise," she sniffed, trying to maintain a serious edge in light of the childish gesture.

Humoring her, Matt looped his pinky with hers. "Stay safe and see you in the morning," they recited together. It had been a ritual initiated by Caroline the first time she saw Matt in the hospital after the accident. She couldn't afford to think about losing any more people in her life.

"Do you want me to finish up early and walk you home?" he asked.

"No, I'm OK. You stay and get that tip jar full."

He motioned around the nearly empty bar. "I'm sure to be a millionaire."

Caroline picked up her denim jacket. "Oh yeah," she joked. "You've got a beautiful future ahead of you." The familiar words caught in her throat and she hurried out of the building, blurting out a goodbye to Matt on the way. Caroline stumbled across the road from the Mystic Grill as fast as she could, not trusting her super speed amidst the cloud of alcohol currently fogging her brain.

_You've got a beautiful future ahead of you. You're strong. I'm a lost cause._

"Oh God, please don't," she whimpered to herself, finding a bench to sit down on. "Just switch off for one night, please." Caroline rested her head in her hands, willing her thoughts to cooperate. Taking a few deep breaths she tried to clear her mind but instead was distracted by a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Like someone was watching her. Tensing, Caroline slowly lowered her hands, ready to attack if need be. After Alaric had screwed things up with the council, Bonnie had worked her magic on them to make them forget everything they'd been told. But Caroline knew nothing could ever be one hundred per cent foolproof, especially in this town, so she was on constant alert.

Spinning around, Caroline half-expected someone to be aiming a stake at her, but there was no sign of anyone. The hairs on her neck kept bristling, though, and one single, stupid thought entered her mind. "Tyler?" she called out in a small voice. The only response was the wind rustling through the trees. Scolding herself for being so ridiculous, Caroline folded her arms and began the walk home.

* * *

Aside from feeling aimless, there was another reason Caroline stayed out every night as late as she could. It was just another way to stave off the dreams she'd been having. But no matter what, she always found herself falling into fitful bouts of sleep where there was one ever-present figure dancing around her subconscious.

The secret, most shameful part, though, was that deep down, no matter how much she protested, she was grateful when the dreams eventually lured her away from reality.

Caroline sat on an embankment staring out at the swimming hole, wriggling her toes in the dirt and grass. She felt someone settle down beside her and didn't need to look to know whom it was.

"Hello, love," said Klaus, drawing up one knee and resting his forearms on it. He smiled when he was met with no response. "Business as usual then?"

"It would appear so," said Caroline, not turning her head.

He gazed out at the lake, watching the water shimmer in the sunlight. "You know, there are plenty of other bodies of water a thousand times more majestic than this."

"I know."

"And yet you keep dreaming about such common things."

"It's not common, it's home," she snapped. "My friends and I swim here every summer… Or at least we used to." She plucked a handful of grass and let it fall through her fingers. "It may not be a gorgeous beach in Greece or a waterfall made out of unicorn tears or whatever, but it still means something to me."

"My apologies, sweetheart."

"Just… save it." She closed her eyes, briefly counting to ten before opening them. When she did she found herself sitting on her roof at home, Klaus still right by her side.

He noticed her peering up at the night sky. "Hoping to make a wish?"

"Wishes belong in fairy tales," she muttered darkly. "Not my crap heap of a life."

"It's your dream, Caroline, you can do anything you like."

"And here I am spending it with you." She shook her head. "Well done, Caroline, another awesome life choice right there."

Klaus contemplated her. "Why _is_ it you conjure my company when I'm sure there are _others_ you deem more worthy of your time?"

She finally met his gaze. "Because it hurts too much." Caroline lay back on the cool tiles, hugging her arms to her chest. "I can't dream up happy scenarios with people I care about when the reality is too harsh to face."

"So you have a non-entity like me instead." A flicker of hurt passed through Klaus's eyes, before his cool demeanour returned. "Why even have me here at all?"

Caroline felt a tear slip down her cheek. "It's either that or be alone," she whispered, hating the sympathy she saw etched on his features.

Klaus started to reach out his hand to brush away her tear before thinking better of it, dropping his arm to his side. "I know all too well what that's like," he replied in a husky voice.

They fell silent, staring up at the endless skyline. It didn't surprise Caroline to see that all the stars had disappeared.

* * *

Her alarm clock startled her awake at 7am with some loud pop song she probably would have sang along to not that long ago. But now it took all her willpower not to smash the clock through her bedroom wall. Caroline flicked the off switch and stretched her limbs, freezing when she felt the familiar prickling sensation up the back of her neck. Twice last night was bad enough, but three times sent off alarm bells in her mind. Scrambling out of bed she threw on some sweatpants and sneakers over her pyjamas and sped downstairs towards the front door. Something was drawing her towards that spot. Praying she wasn't about to get decapitated by some immortal – or mortal – being, Caroline opened the door and nearly screamed when she saw the person crumpled on her doorstep.

"Tyler?" she shrieked, kneeling down to cradle his head in her lap. "Tyler is that really you? Oh my God, please be real. Please be real," she cried, feeling her body shaking.

With a sharp jolt, Tyler's eyes suddenly sprang open. "Caroline?" he croaked, trying to sit up. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Oh my God, Tyler!" She held him closer. "I thought you were dead!" she sobbed. "What happened to you in the cellar? Where the hell have you been?"

Tyler struggled into a sitting position and gazed into her eyes. "I have no idea."

* * *

Bonnie's eyes remained fixated on the crystal hovering over the map on her bedroom desk. She'd spelled it as a way to keep track of Klaus, who had been maintaining his distance a few towns over, until last night when Bonnie noticed he'd been hanging around Mystic Falls once more. And now he appeared to be in the one place he wasn't supposed to be – at Caroline's house. Frowning, Bonnie grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

"I don't know what you're playing at, Klaus," she said through gritted teeth. "But this wasn't part of the plan."

_Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews (especially letting me know what parts are working/you enjoyed - it's a good help for future chapters) & for the story alerts. I really appreciate it.**

* * *

Klaus settled onto the Forbes' sofa while Caroline busied herself adjusting the throw pillows behind him, her hair brushing against his shoulder while she worked. He couldn't help but stare at her, relishing the close proximity. Leaning back to sit on the cushion next to his, Caroline noticed his gaze and took hold of his hand. "I can't believe it's really you, Tyler," she smiled, her voice still shaky from their reunion.

Flinching, Klaus shifted around in the body he had still not quite grown accustomed to. Or more accurately, didn't _want_ to grow accustomed to. He was filled with scorn every time he glimpsed his reflection – Klaus, the Original, the first Hybrid, stuck in the body of an infantile fool he had once sired. The sooner he got his own body back the better. _Although there is one redeeming feature to this new arrangement_, he thought as Caroline squeezed his hand.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, noticing the way he was grimacing. "Too many fluffy pillows? Not enough? Do we need a pillow fort situation?" She scrunched up her nose. "I don't really know how to deal at the moment, which is dumb because you'd think I'd be used to 'back from the dead' situations, so I'm just going to keep babbling until you shut me up."

Klaus's mouth quirked upwards as he placed his free hand over hers. "I promise you I'm OK, Caroline. Just a bit dazed and confused, that's all."

"You really can't remember anything after you started to turn in the cellar?"

He shook his head. "All I can recall is holding you in my arms, then my memory becomes a blur. Then this morning I woke up in the forest somewhere and my first instinct was to return to you." Klaus brushed his thumb over her wrist. "How long have I been away for?"

"Three weeks," whispered Caroline, blinking back a fresh set of tears. "Three long, horrible weeks. There's just one thing I don't understand, though," she added.

"What would that be?"

"How you're still alive when Klaus was staked."

Klaus raised his eyebrows, acting wounded. "So you're saying you'd rather see me dead? What a nice welcome home."

"You know what I mean," she scoffed, swatting his arm. "How come there was this whole big thing with Finn and bloodlines and then nothing actually happened?"

"Maybe Finn spent too much time with his mother and her witching ways altered his death?" said Klaus. "Or maybe the whole bloodline story was just a hoax?"

"If it's a hoax then someone has a _lot_ of explaining to do," she grumbled. "I did _not_ just go through all that emotional trauma, thinking you were going to die – and then you kind of _did_ die – just so someone could have a good old laugh about it."

"Let's not think about that right now," said Klaus, caressing her cheek. "Let's just be grateful that you're alive and I'm alive. Nothing else matters."

Caroline smiled warmly, leaning in to his touch. "I've missed you so much," she said quietly.

Klaus drank in her misplaced adoration. He hated himself for playing along with his own delusion, but her affection was intoxicating and he'd yet to find the cure. "You have no idea," he murmured, locking eyes with her as she inched closer to his face. Just as Caroline's lips grazed his, a loud voice filtered through the house.

"Caroline, are you home?" Bonnie called out, letting herself through the front door. She walked into the living room, stopping short when she saw Caroline and 'Tyler' break apart. "Tyler?" said Bonnie, feigning surprise.

"He's not dead, Bonnie!" Caroline beamed; missing the way Klaus glowered at her friend for the disruption. "I mean, duh, you can see that with your own eyes," she said, waving her hands around in excitement. "But something happened to him after I left him in the cellar and he found his way back to me."

Bonnie stared at Klaus. "It's a miracle," she evenly replied.

Klaus stood up with a playful smirk. "What? No hug for your old pal, Tyler?" he said with outstretched arms.

Gripping the strap of her purse, Bonnie glanced at Caroline, who was smiling at her expectantly. "Of course," she said, stepping forward to give him an awkward embrace before hurriedly breaking away. "It's so good to see you back, _Tyler_," she added in a forcefully cheery tone. "Although you look like a sack of shit."

"Bonnie!" Caroline scolded. "He's been lost in the forest for three weeks, not living it up in some five star hotel. Cut him some slack."

"It's OK, Caroline," said Klaus in amusement. "I probably do look a bit rough. I'm starting to feel a bit rough again, too. Do you have anything to drink?"

Caroline's face fell. "I'm so sorry, I don't have any fresh blood bags here," she apologized. "I've kind of been living off bunnies and vodka for a little while – the depression diet, not the greatest of combos," she added sheepishly. "But I'll go and get some bags right now! Don't go anywhere." Caroline pecked him on the cheek before racing out the door.

Folding her arms, Bonnie glowered at Klaus, hating the way he wore Tyler's body with such a smug air now that Caroline wasn't around. "What the hell are you doing here?" she sneered. "You were supposed to stay away until I said it was time."

"Yeah, well, I got bored," Klaus shrugged, sauntering over to the bookshelf. "It shouldn't be taking this long to return me to my natural form." He admired a photo of Caroline from the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. "I thought your powers were supposed to be abundant these days, what with pissing off the spirits and all."

"Are you conveniently forgetting the part where I told you that your body needed adequate time to heal?" She stalked over and snatched the photo from Klaus's hands. "Or is that all jumbled in with your 'amnesia' act too?"

He smirked. "Bit touchy aren't we, love?"

Bonnie set the frame back on the shelf. "I'm 'touchy' because I told you to stay away from Caroline. And yet here you are leeching all over her, taking advantage of her vulnerable state in your little Tyler suit."

Klaus's features darkened as he leant in towards her. "I would never take advantage of Caroline."

"Oh, so you just _fell_ onto her lips before?" Bonnie retorted, not backing away. "You know exactly what you're doing," she scoffed.

"It appears you don't, though, making wild assumptions and threats against someone like me," he smiled politely, as if they were holding a genial conversation.

"Your ego _would_ allow you to think that, wouldn't it," she replied, matching his forced cordial tone. "But you forget who holds the _real_ power here, Klaus. You see I'm the only one who knows where your body is stashed. So if you don't want to wake up still chained in a coffin with a new hex on you after the transformation is complete I suggest you leave Caroline the hell alone."

Klaus felt the black veins protrude under his eyes and fought to the urge to unleash the fury building up inside. "I don't see how Caroline will agree to those terms given who I am right now," he scowled.

"Well she's going to have to," said Bonnie. "I'll think of something to tell her."

"She's a determined woman. She'll seek me out if she wants."

Bonnie couldn't help a small laugh from escaping. "If by 'me' you mean Tyler then sure. But let's not kid ourselves here."

Gritting his jaw in frustration, Klaus glared at her. "I'm getting tired of you testing my patience, witch. I'll play along for now, but the more you prolong this, the more I care less about your threats and the wellbeing of this so called… Tyler suit," he said, picking up a letter opener and slowly digging it into his palm. "Let's not kid ourselves here," he seethed.

"Stop it," she yelled, causing the blade to fly across the room with her powers. "You leave Tyler alone, you hear me?"

Klaus pursed his lips, happy to have rattled her. "So what's your grand plan?"

"For now you can just lay low at your old place. Rebekah and Elijah have taken off somewhere seeking answers as to why no one else from your bloodline died, so it'll be empty." She handed him a crystal that matched the one in her room. "I'll activate this if I need to see you."

He eyed the crystal in amusement. "I know I'm considered ancient by today's standards, love, but I do believe they have devices called cell phones these days."

"Like I had time to find you a new phone on the way over," she rolled her eyes. "Just take the damn crystal and go before Caroline gets back."

Klaus paused. "You better know what you're doing or so help you," he murmured, before speeding away.

Caroline arrived home a short while later, her black purse overflowing with blood bags from the hospital. "It took a little compelling but I wormed my way in there," she sang out. "I know you like your O neg, but they were running a bit…" her voice trailed off when she found Bonnie sitting by herself on the sofa. "Where's Tyler?"

"He… had to go," said Bonnie, wincing when she saw the hurt flicker across her friend's face.

"What do you mean he had to go?" She set her purse down on the coffee table. "He only just got back after three weeks of God knows what trauma. Where the hell does he have to rush off to so badly, half price Margarita Madness at The Grill?"

"While you were gone Tyler started to feel strange and then things got messy."

"Messy?"

"He started to turn into a werewolf, Care."

"I don't… I don't understand," Caroline said helplessly, falling into place next to Bonnie on the sofa. "Tyler had all that under control. He got it under control for us," she said under her breath.

Bonnie rubbed Caroline's arm in sympathy. "Maybe something happened while he was lost? Some kind of weird side effect?"

"Well then he should have stayed so we could work it out together!" said Caroline, beginning to feel more annoyed than upset. "He can't just suddenly reappear in my life when I thought he was dead and then take off again without an explanation!"

"He said he didn't want to take the chance that he might hurt you when he wolfed out," Bonnie placated. "If it's any consolation I don't think he's gone very far. I just think he needs some time to sort himself out."

Caroline mulled this over before suddenly standing up. "No, that is bull." She made for the door. "I'm going to find him."

Leaping to her feet, Bonnie raced in front of Caroline, hoping she wouldn't pull out the super speed card. "Caroline, you can't."

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"Because he told me to tell you to stay away," she blurted out. "It's for your own good." Bonnie felt her stomach churn with how upset Caroline was.

"My own good huh?" Caroline laughed humorlessly, turning around to stand near her purse. "My own good…" Picking up one of the blood bags she hurled it at the far wall leaving a dark red spatter across the paint, the rest oozing towards the carpet.

"Caroline…"

"He thinks things got messy now?" she said, almost to herself. "Well what about the mess I've been in the past three weeks thinking he was _dead_," she shouted. "What about that, huh? And then he thinks it's OK to just leave me again at the first sign of trouble – trouble we've worked through before mind you!"

Bonnie swallowed roughly. "He did it to protect you." Noticing Caroline's shoulders slump, she walked over to comfort her. "Care? Say something."

"I need to clean this up before my mom gets home and thinks it's a crime scene," she quietly replied, not turning around. "I'll see you later, OK?"

"OK," said Bonnie, not wanting to leave her alone but knowing Caroline didn't want her there either. "Call me if you want to talk."

Caroline just nodded, waiting until she heard Bonnie's car pull out of the driveway before slumping onto the coffee table and burying her head in her hands.

* * *

Music and laughter floated through the night air as Caroline slowly walked through the forest on the outskirts of town. She could see the twinkly haze of fairy lights through the trees, signalling the location of the keg party, but Caroline felt herself wandering even further away from the location. She didn't want to be around anyone. Well, almost anyone.

"Nice night for a moonlight stroll," said Klaus, falling into step beside her.

"Moonlight doesn't work well for everyone," said Caroline, keeping her head forward as they walked.

"Ah yes, but once you've experienced the dark side of the moon the aftermath is that much sweeter," Klaus smiled, tipping his head toward the sky.

Caroline paused, causing Klaus to do the same. "I don't know why you're still here."

"You tell me, love," he said in an amused tone.

"Tyler's back. I should be dreaming about him… and yet here you are." She shook her head. "What is wrong with me?"

Putting his hands in his pockets, Klaus stepped forward. "Why do you assume you're the one in the wrong? Maybe it's Tyler you should be aiming your words towards?"

"I just don't understand why he's keeping me away," she said, reliving the events in her mind. "We were a team." She felt Klaus move even closer but refused to meet his eye, not wanting his compassion.

"Perhaps 'were' might just be the operative term there, sweetheart," he said without malice. Klaus ghosted his fingers across one of her blond curls. "Shall we keep walking?"

"Yes." They slowly trekked in silence through the forest, the noise of the party barely registering as they broke through to a clearing by the side of the road. Caroline saw a sign up ahead, lit up by streetlights. "You are now leaving Mystic Falls," she murmured to herself as she read it.

Klaus smiled softly. "Any truth in that?"

Caroline opened her mouth to answer, but decided instead to sit down on a metal railing beside the road and gaze up into the sky. There still weren't any stars.

* * *

Sifting through half-packed boxes from his abandoned getaway, Klaus attempted to find the scotch he'd stashed away but instead came across one of his sketchpads. He opened it up to find incomplete drawings of one particular person. Klaus traced his hand over the outline of Caroline's face, itching to pick up a pencil and fill in the minute details now that he'd been graced with seeing her even more up close. He closed his eyes, remembering what it was like to hold her in his arms, to be in the presence of such light and beauty. And now he knew what that felt like, he didn't want it to stop.

If Bonnie thought she could order him to stay away for good, she was dead wrong.

_Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again for reading/reviewing/story alerting the last chapter. Like I mentioned previously, it's always encouraging to hear your thoughts & what you're enjoying in the reviews.**

* * *

Caroline nestled into a booth at the back of the Mystic Grill, half-heartedly picking at her lunch while she spoke with Stefan on her cell. "You were the one who was supposed to be keeping _me_ posted, mister, not the other way around."

"I know, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch," Stefan sighed. "Things have been… complicated."

"Is Elena OK?"

"She's up and down. You know what it's like."

"Boy do I ever," said Caroline, stabbing at some lettuce with her fork. "But you've been taking her hunting for Bambi and Thumper and all the other innocent Disney creatures, yeah? I'm sure that's helping." There was a long pause. "Hello?"

"Elena's taken to hunting with Damon," he replied, keeping his tone light. "They're out right now, actually."

"Hold on – what?" She sat up straighter in her seat. "But you're, like, uber-patient teacher guy. What's Damon going to show her that you can't? How to smoulder animals to death with overly-expressive eyes?"

"Something like that."

Caroline could sense his tension over the line. "Stefan…" she gently prodded.

"It would seem," he said, clearing his throat, "that Elena feels embarrassed feeding in front of me. That she 'doesn't want me to see that side of her' yet, so she's been avoiding me."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," said Caroline. "As if you'd care."

"I said the same thing, but it didn't make a difference. So I'm being kept at arm's length when…" he exhaled deeply. "When all I want to do is help her."

Caroline tilted her head back to rest against the booth, thinking of her misguided 'reunion' with Tyler. "I know exactly what you mean," she murmured. "I wish I could give you some advice like, 'just wait it out and they'll come around', but I won't because that's a pile of garbage," she added, her voice rising slightly. "And why _should_ we have to wait around until they stop living in Crazy Town, hmm? How is that fair on us?"

There was another pause. "Everything alright with you?"

"Yep, everything's completely cool," she replied, resisting the urge to facepalm at her sudden onslaught of self-obsessed rambling.

"Caroline…" he said, mocking her earlier tone towards him.

"I'm fine, Stefan, honestly," she said, trying to smile. "I just miss you guys I guess. When do you think you'll be home?"

"That's up to Elena – but I'm hoping it will be soon. She'll need time to adjust being back home before school starts again." His voice became quiet. "I can hear them coming back, I better go."

"OK. Make sure you actually ring me again soon," she said. "And Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll be alright," she said sympathetically.

"I know. You will too," he encouraged. "See you, Caroline."

"Bye."

Ending the call, Caroline stared down at her, by now, mutilated Greek Salad. Admitting defeat, she scrunched up her napkin and threw it over the dish. She was relieved to have finally received an update on Elena, but instead of taking her mind off things, she'd managed to dredge up her own personal conflicts once more. It had been a week since Tyler had run off from her house. She'd tried to search for him the first few days, despite what Bonnie had said, but she'd had no luck. The only sign she had that he hadn't completely skipped town were the flowers she found on her doorstep each morning. One small bunch of blue flowers each time like clockwork. 'Forget-me-nots' her mom had told her when she found Tuesday's bunch before heading off to work, brimming with curiosity but not wanting to pry her daughter with questions. Caroline scoffed to herself. _I wouldn't have a reason to forget you if you were still around, jackass_.

Collecting her purse, Caroline walked over to the bar where Matt was pouring beers for a waitress to deliver. "I'll have a drink too when you've got a sec," she said, taking out money to pay for her lunch.

Matt handed the beers to his colleague before turning towards his friend, eyebrows raised. "Day drinking now, Care? Really? You haven't been in the past few nights, I thought you'd turned a corner."

"I meant a soda, judgey pants," she glowered at him. "But thanks for the lesson in morality."

"I didn't mean it like that, Caroline," he said, getting her a Coke. "You know I worry about you."

She accepted the drink, forcing herself to chill out. "I do. I'm sorry. And I have, you know," she added, poking an ice cube with her straw. "Turned a corner and all that."

"You have?" Matt frowned in surprise.

"Yep. From now on I don't waste my time drinking over people who aren't worth my energy." She raised her glass. "Cheers to that," she said, taking a big gulp.

"Caroline!" Matt stared at her in astonishment. "The poor guy is _dead_. How does that even make sense, 'he isn't worth my energy'?"

Caroline coughed as some of her soda went down the wrong way. Only her and Bonnie knew the truth about Tyler's return – he hadn't even been to see his mom as far as she knew. Mrs Lockwood was still under the impression her son had skipped town by himself. And poor Matt still thought his mate was dead. Caroline had considered telling him the truth all week but didn't know if it was the best thing to do while Tyler was acting so standoffish.

"I didn't mean it, Matt," she said.

"It sure sounded like you did."

"I'm just really tired and emotional right now," she replied, which actually held some truth. Her sleeping pattern had been erratic most of the week, her brain only truly resting during her Klaus-induced dreams. _And a big high-five to my subconscious for those_, she thought dryly.

"Do you think you might need to talk to someone?" Matt attempted to casually wipe down the bench. "I spoke to a counsellor a few times about Vicki," he said quietly, not wanting to make eye contact. "I mean it didn't completely take away the pain – or the confusion – but it still sort of helped getting things off my chest."

"Oh Matt…" Caroline reached out to squeeze her friend's arm, feeling awful that she was still choosing to lie to him. "I'll definitely think about it. Thank you," she smiled warmly. "Maybe I'm finally working my way through those five stages of grief," she added, trying to lighten the mood. "In a weird roundabout kind of way." He smiled back at her. "Hey, I almost forgot. I spoke to Stefan just before – Elena might be coming home soon."

"Really?" Matt tried to keep his smile in place. "That's great news."

"I know, right!" she replied, not quite registering his discomfort. "Anyway, I better head off. That daytime TV isn't going to watch itself." She held out her pinky to Matt. "Stay safe and see you in the morning?"

Matt latched his pinky with hers. "Ditto."

* * *

Lying on the sofa, Caroline flicked through a bunch of channels before settling on what looked like a Lifetime movie. One of those predictable ones where a person's life was all happy and light before they were struck down with cancer or they died on their wedding day leaving a grieving spouse. Something morose at any rate, which suited Caroline just fine. She snuggled her head into the cushion to get comfy, but as she watched a family wheel their sick mom around a fairground, her eyes began to slowly droop shut…

Caroline found herself leaning against a fence railing, admiring the flashy lights from the carnival rides that lit up the clear night sky over the fair. People bustled around in front of her, eating fairy floss and corn dogs, completely ignoring her existence. "I know what you're going to say," she said out loud. "Why are you dreaming of such a pitiful thing when you could be enjoying a carnival in Rio?"

"I wasn't going to say that at all," said Klaus, leaning on the railing next to her. "But now you mention it…" he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "I can just see you wearing a feathered headdress and a bejewelled bikini."

"Perhaps not me, sweetheart," he said, raking his eyes up and down her body. "But I can think of someone else it would look quite delectable on."

"Oh please," she scoffed, drawing her jacket closer. Caroline tried to return her attention to the goings-on in front of her, but gasped when she saw something over near the Ferris wheel ticket booth. "Oh my God."

"What is it?"

Caroline squinted at the young blond girl in line with her parents. "That's me," she said, Klaus's gaze following where she was pointing.

"You used to come here with your mother and father?"

"No," she replied softly. "I used to _dream_ about coming here with them." She shook her head. "It's a dream within a dream – I've _Inceptioned_ myself."

"Sounds painful, love."

Caroline laughed humorlessly. "Yeah. But a different kind of pain." The ten-year-old version of herself had her arms linked with her parents, one on each side. Young Caroline grinned as her mom and dad chatted and joked with one another. "They were always happy in my dreams," she said wistfully. "No fighting, no divorce, we were invincible." She watched as her younger self hopped into a Ferris wheel carriage with her parents. "I thought if I could keep them happy here then it would somehow transfer into real life, too. I guess that's where my incessant need to please people came from." She wrung her hands together, turning her head to see that Klaus was staring intently. He reached out to put his hand over hers, but Caroline quickly dropped them away. "I don't know why I'm telling you this," she disparaged. "This whole thing isn't even real, none of it matters."

Klaus's gaze never faltered. "It matters to me."

* * *

An announcer's voice jolted Caroline awake from her unplanned nap as she realized she'd accidentally leant on the volume button on the remote. She switched off the game show commercial and sat up, smoothing out the side of her hair that had been mushed into the pillow. She was contemplating grabbing a blood bag from the fridge when she heard the faintest of noises on the outside porch. Without thinking, she sped to the front door and yanked it open, but no one was around. Swallowing her disappointment, her eyes dropped to the doormat where, to her surprise, another bunch of forget-me-nots were sitting – this time with a note attached. She'd already received flowers this morning, which she'd met with her usual sigh of frustration, but this second unexpected bunch made her extremely curious. Caroline picked up her gift and hurriedly opened the folded piece of paper.

_Caroline,_

_I need to see you and explain my actions._

_Please meet me in the cemetery at 8pm._

_Don't tell anyone you're coming._

_Tyler_

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, fighting the urge to pitch the flowers back onto the ground. "You make me feel like shit the entire week and _now_ you want to talk?" she muttered, heading back inside. "I don't understand you." _Maybe I just won't go and you can get a taste of your own abandonment. See how you like those apples or whatever the hell the saying is_. Caroline re-read the note and scowled, knowing she was going to go despite her protests. "Dammit!"

* * *

Checking her watch for the hundredth time, Caroline paced around the entrance of the graveyard. She'd spent the whole afternoon in a war with herself about how much effort she was going to put into this meeting. Part of her just wanted to rock up in her oldest, grossest pyjamas and no make-up to show Tyler just how much she didn't care. But the other part of her – the less stubborn more self-conscious part – settled on jeans and a blue blouse. She lifted her arm up to brush some hair from her face, hearing charms tinkle against each other on her wrist. _Oh yeah and his stupid birthday bracelet. Because that doesn't contradict the 'I'm pissed at you' vibe at all_, _Care_, she chided herself.

"Caroline, you came."

Freezing mid-step, Caroline span around to see Tyler smiling at her. She tilted her chin up. "Yeah, well, there was nothing good on TV tonight so…"

Klaus hid a smile and moved closer, holding out another bunch of forget-me-nots. "These are for you," he said, noticing her shirt. "It's a nice match."

Caroline groaned inwardly. That was not something she planned. She made no move to take the bouquet on offer, still not allowing herself to cave. "I think I've had my fill of flowers, thanks all the same."

"Fair enough," he replied, dropping his arm. "Caroline I…"

"Why the hell did you just run off?" she blurted out, interrupting him. "I could have helped you. We could have gone through this together."

"And what would have happened if I hurt you?" said Klaus. "I'd never have forgiven myself."

Caroline's eyes darkened. "Yeah, well, _newsflash_. You already did." She folded her arms. "So are we done here, or…"

Klaus came to stand in front of her, noting the way she chewed the inside of her cheek when she was trying to keep herself composed. This week had felt like an eternity, biding his time, planning his meeting with Caroline away from the prying interference of the witch. He wasn't about to let her go now. "Will you walk with me?" he asked.

She looked around before meeting his eyes. "Fine."

The two of them strolled through the cemetery, mainly in silence, while thunder rumbled overhead. Klaus paused outside of a tomb and laid the flowers he was still carrying at the front entrance.

"This is where I had my birthday," she remarked quietly.

"I remember," he said, noticing something glinting in the moonlight on her wrist. He grasped her arm and gently nudged one of the charms with his thumb. "You deserve something more beautiful than this."

She frowned. "You're the one who bought it for me."

"And this is why you shouldn't trust the tastes of a teenage boy," he smirked. "I'll get you something better."

Caroline tugged her arm away. "I don't want anything better. You shouldn't have to buy me off with flowers, or with jewellery or with anything." Her face fell. "Don't you get it? I just want _you_."

Klaus stilled as Caroline placed her hand over his chest, allowing her sentiments to feed his growing delusions. He drew up his own hand to rest on hers, lowering his eyes to her pink-tinged mouth… where she emitted an abrupt shriek as fat raindrops fell from the sky in a sudden summer downpour. "Oh my God, my hair!" she yelped. "Quick, in here." She shoved the tomb door aside and dragged him in, laughing at her own vanity. "I can't believe I just screamed about my hair – but in my defense it took forever to curl, OK. Now I'm going to look like a haystack."

Smiling at her uplifted mood, Klaus ran his fingers through her blond locks, feeling her shiver as he continued down the side of her cheek. "Don't be ridiculous. You're the most stunning woman I've ever seen," he whispered.

Licking her lips, Caroline stood on tiptoe and fervently kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he took her by the waist. Their tongues danced together, Caroline moaning softly into his mouth as she backed him into the wall. Klaus tilted his head back in pleasure while Caroline traced kisses down his neck, sucking softly where his pulse point should have been. He gently lifted her head, greedy to have her lips back on his, drawing her body in closer. Caroline ran her fingers around the hem of his shirt, grazing them against the bare skin on his back before beginning to provocatively lift up the material. "Tyler," she moaned into his mouth.

Warning bells immediately triggered in Klaus's head as he broke through the lust-infused fog he was in and pushed Caroline away with a bit more force than he intended. "Stop," he growled, rubbing his hand over his face. "_Now_."

Caroline regarded him with hurt and confusion. "Why are you still brushing me off? Don't you want to be with me anymore?" she asked in a small voice, hating how needy she sounded.

Noticing how wounded she was, Klaus reached for her hand. "Of course I want to be with you, Caroline," he said, calming himself down. "More than you know. But I don't want to risk anything while I'm… still not feeling completely like myself." The truth was there was nothing more he'd like to do than take her right now against the wall, to feel her body writhing against his. But that was just the thing. He wanted it to be _his_ body with hers. _His_ name she'd call out in ecstasy. _His_ arms she'd wake up in the next morning because she'd chosen to be there. Klaus was used to taking what he wanted, but he knew with Caroline it would be different. It had to be, or else he'd lose her before he'd even had the chance to have her.

"OK," Caroline nodded, squeezing his hand.

"I think the rain's stopped if you wanted to leave," said Klaus, unsure if she was telling the truth or just placating him.

"I think I want to stay here for a while," she said, leading him back to the wall and sitting on the ground, waiting for him to fit beside her.

Klaus wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she tucked herself into his chest, letting his chin rest on her head. He couldn't remember the last time he'd sat like this with a woman without it being a scam to feed on them, draining them dry instead of feeling some form of comfort. It was a decidedly _human_ interaction he'd buried long ago, but he'd found himself drawn to this girl more and more, finding ways to get close. Letting her feed off his wrist, caressing her back while they danced, soothing her trembling body in the school halls. It exhilarated him and endangered him all at once. The last time he had let someone this close he'd…

"Where would we have gone?" asked Caroline, breaking his reverie.

He stroked her arm. "What do you mean?"

"When we were going to run away from the council together. Before everything turned upside down." She ran her fingers up and down his stomach. "Where do you think we would have gone?"

"Anywhere you wanted to go," he said, feeling her trace a star pattern on his torso.

"… Paris," she said almost inaudibly.

Klaus didn't move. "What made you choose there?"

"I don't know," Caroline shrugged. "I've just heard it's nice."

He grinned and brushed his lips over her hair. "We should find out one day."

* * *

Klaus walked up the driveway of the Mikaelson Manor, feeling Bonnie's crystal heat up in his palm. He'd been reluctant to part with Caroline when he'd first noticed the crystal react in his pocket, but promised her he was getting 'help' for his condition and that he'd arrange to meet her again soon. Klaus saw Bonnie waiting for him in the shadows of the front entrance.

"Where have you been?" she said accusingly, stepping out into the moonlight.

"Out for a drink, not that it's any of your business," he said flatly.

She pursed her lips. "In the cemetery?"

Klaus sneered at her. "Are we going to play twenty questions or are you going to tell me why you're here?"

Bonnie sighed and took her car keys from her purse. "It's time," she stated, gesturing for Klaus to follow her. "You're getting your own body back. _Tonight_."

_Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus stood his ground, digesting the revelation that it was finally time to return to his natural form, causing Bonnie to pause mid-way to her car. "What are you waiting for, a parade?" she frowned. "Let's go."

"I need to attend to a few things first," said Klaus, methodically turning the crystal around in his hand.

"Excuse me? You've been hassling me for God knows how long and now you suddenly want to take your time?" She pointed her keys at him accusingly. "Whatever it is, it can wait. Get in the car."

Klaus took a few steps towards her, his gaze becoming icy. "Perhaps you've become confused, what with me wearing your friend and all, but let me remind you whom you're actually speaking to," he sneered. "I don't respond well to demands."

Lowering her arm, Bonnie affected what she hoped was a poker face. "I could just keep your body rotting in that coffin you know."

"Yes, but you won't," he taunted. "Because what sort of pal would you be to leave poor, defenceless Tyler in limbo?" Klaus's smile broadened at her discomfort.

"What do you need to do?" she sighed.

"Well I don't particularly fancy walking around in charred clothing, and I'll also be needing fresh blood. Unless you're willing to offer up a vein or two of course?" He watched her scowl at him. "Didn't think so, love. I'll gather supplies while you set up at…?"

Bonnie contemplated him. "The school," she muttered. "Meet me outside the gym."

"It's a date," he said with a twisted smirk.

* * *

Rain softly hit Caroline's bedroom window while she slept, the rhythmic pitter-patter having lulled her into an elusive slumber. Klaus watched her from the doorway, eyes skimming over her face where he was curious to see frown lines etched across her forehead. He assumed her meeting with 'Tyler' would have put her thoughts at ease, but it didn't seem to be the case.

He knew he was being senseless, loitering around when he had desired to reclaim his own body for so long. But that was just the thing about desire – it was impossible to maintain focus on just one when there were so many temptations in the world. Klaus had wanted to see Caroline one last time in his current state before their old routine was enabled and her looks of acceptance were returned to thinly veiled contempt.

_Although looks can be deceiving_, he thought as a stolen memory of Tyler's floated to the forefront of his mind. He quietly stepped into the room towards her bedside table where the top drawer was half open. Rummaging past some old exam revision notes and photographs, he found the parchment he was searching for. A satisfied smile crept up Klaus's face – she'd still kept his sketch, even after her little spat with Tyler. He was about to place it back in the drawer when thunder suddenly rumbled outside causing Caroline to stir.

"… _show me_," she said almost inaudibly, burrowing her head into the pillow.

Klaus stilled, momentarily wondering if she meant the drawing before noticing she wasn't actually awake. He heard another murmur from her that sounded like 'Paris' and deduced from their earlier conversation that she was dreaming about running away with Tyler. _That insolent fool wouldn't appreciate half the beauty and history there, sweetheart_, he scowled disdainfully. Not wishing to bear witness to any more outbursts about the boy, he ruefully turned to leave when one simple word shook his body to the core.

"_Klaus_…"

He stared at her sleeping form, his mouth agape. _Well. This was certainly a new development._ Never being one to leave his curiosity unsated, Klaus knelt down next to the bed and hovered his hand across Caroline's left temple. It was one thing to implant an idea into someone's subconscious – a flashy parlour trick at the best of times. But it was a whole other level of concentration to connect with someone already in the midst of their own dream and become one with their thoughts. Klaus closed his eyes and gently touched Caroline's temple. He knew he was pressed for time, but he was damned if he wasn't going to find out exactly what was going on…

* * *

With one last glance at the sign looming next to her (_'You are now leaving Mystic Falls'_), Caroline took her first steps out of town… where she was immediately struck down with an abrupt wooziness. She clutched her head, waiting for her vision to stop blurring, and felt someone reach out to steady her. "It's OK, love," she heard Klaus say soothingly. "Just relax."

Caroline lowered her arms to look at her companion, who was peering at her with an unreadable smile. "Dream turbulence, great," she scoffed. "There's something else I can thank my psyche for." She glared back at the sign. "Maybe that's what I get for actually thinking about leaving this town."

Letting go of Caroline's waist, Klaus took in the familiar surroundings. "I believe that's called self-sabotage. It is your _dream_ after all."

She narrowed her eyes, knowing there was some truth to it. "Shut up."

"How can I when the suggestion of Paris is ringing so clearly in my ears," he reminded her. "I _can_ show you, Caroline," he added, lowering his voice. "I'll take you anywhere you wish and show you more to the world than you ever thought imaginable."

Caroline felt a quick shiver of anticipation before coming to her senses, shaking her head in bemusement. "I nearly believed that," she laughed, causing Klaus to frown. "Everything I know about Paris I've only seen on TV or read on the Internet. What am I going to do? Conjure up a half-assed Eiffel Tower in my mind? Now _that_ would be self-sabotage." She became subdued when Klaus stood closely in front of her.

"You might be surprised with what you see if you'd only take a chance."

Their eyes locked together and Caroline became startled by a vivid intensity in Klaus's gaze she'd never noticed before in her dreams. Unsettled, she took a small step back and swallowed. "Maybe now's not the time," she said, feeling the scene shift around them until they were standing in the middle of the empty town square. Caroline perched on one of the benches, but Klaus remained on his feet.

"Is that what you're going to keep telling yourself?" asked Klaus.

"So what if it is?" Caroline retorted defensively. "Seriously, why is it so important that I just up and leave all of my family and friends? I happen to _want_ to finish high school here," she said, feeling her anger rise. "I want to go to the stupid prom and cheer on the football team and… God, I don't know, pretend that my life has _some_ semblance of normality left in it before I let all this immortality stuff _truly_ sink in once and for all." She folded her arms and laughed bitterly. "Not that you'd even remember what that feels like." Caroline stared at the trampled grass below her feet, sensing Klaus sit down beside her.

"Horse riding," he said, his voice gravelly.

Caroline's head snapped up. "What?"

"Horse riding," he repeated. "It was something I used to enjoy before I became a vampire, and something I held onto for many centuries after, until…"

She turned her body slightly more towards his. "Until what?" she prompted.

His face darkened. "My father began the first of his many retaliations against me."

"He severed its neck," she whispered, recalling their conversation the night of the ball.

"Sometimes a new start is exactly what's needed," said Klaus, shaking off lingering memories he didn't want to re-visit. He noticed Caroline observing him with a mixture of intrigue and apprehension. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, leaning back into the bench. "For some reason my brain's decided to make things a little more intense with you tonight than usual."

A ghost of a smile graced Klaus's lips as he mused over the fact that he appeared to be a regular feature in her REM cycle. "Must be the storm wreaking some internal havoc as well as external, love," he replied.

"Yeah," said Caroline unconvincingly. "Must be."

* * *

Roaring thunder boomed through the night sky, loud enough this time to frighten Caroline awake with a start. She felt a small sheen of sweat on her forehead and sat up on her mattress to reach for the glass of water next to her bed. Taking a sip, Caroline was immediately plagued with snippets of her dream and how extreme it was. How realistic Klaus's story felt. _Nice imagination you've got there, Caroline_, she mocked. _A few more made up things and_ _you could start a new career writing Klaus's fake memoirs - 'Lick, Sip, Suck: My human tequila party'._

She returned the glass next to her alarm clock, pausing when she noticed the half-rolled-up parchment sitting atop everything in her drawer. She opened it up to look at the sketch of herself and the horse, as she'd done many a night before, but this time lightly tracing her index finger over the horse's neck.

"_He severed its neck with a sword as a warning,"_ Klaus's voice reverberated in her mind. Exhaling in frustration, she dropped the paper back into the drawer and slammed it shut, before lying back down under the covers. Caroline stared at the ceiling and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

* * *

Candles were flickering in a small circle around the crowded room in the school's basement where Bonnie had been storing Klaus's coffin under a protection spell. She'd informed Klaus (after resisting the urge to chastise him for being so late) that Alaric had used this hidden chamber in the basement to store extra weapons. It was the perfect place due to the seclusion and the fact that no one was at the school over the summer.

Klaus stood before the coffin where his body lay, ensuring that Bonnie had removed all the chains so he would be completely mobile. A novice would find the sight of staring at their own near-dead body perturbing, but Klaus had been through the process more times than he could count to be affected. Not to mention the fact his mind was still preoccupied with Caroline and her dreams.

"Ready?" said Bonnie, interrupting his thoughts. "Or do you have some last minute grocery shopping to do this time?"

"Let's just get on with things, shall we?" sneered Klaus.

Rolling her eyes, Bonnie took a deep breath and started the chant she'd memorized from the grimoire Klaus had in his possession. Once her voice became louder, Klaus felt the familiar surge of his essence leaving the body he had been encased in. He smiled, knowing he was only minutes away from normality – until a loud succession of booming thunder and lightning shook the building. The candles began to flicker and Bonnie gave a sudden jolt like she'd been struck through the chest. Alarmed, Bonnie staggered on the spot before regaining her voice and chanting with added gusto. Klaus noticed a thin trickle of blood seeping from Bonnie's nose before he collapsed to the ground, grasping his head in pain.

The candles extinguished simultaneously and the room fell silent except for Bonnie's ragged breathing. She mustered enough energy to re-light a few candles with a wave of her hand, but stopped short when she saw Klaus's body sit up in the coffin. Klaus peered at his surroundings in confusion before focusing on her.

"Bon?" he said. "What happened?" He snapped his mouth shut when he registered the accent and quickly stared down at his hands and body. "Oh no…"

"Oh my God… Tyler?" Bonnie whispered, gaping at Klaus's form.

A ferocious yell exploded from Tyler's body, where Klaus was still trapped. "What the _hell have you done_, witch?" he shouted, rushing towards her in a blind rage.

_Continued…_

* * *

**Sorry for the delay in updates - but thank you for the lovely reviews & the story alerts/favourites! You're all wonderful. I played around a bit with the dream & body possession mythos, but hopefully this will take the story on a few nice twists and turns!**


	5. Chapter 5

Klaus furiously lunged for Bonnie's throat, but before he could wrap his hands around her neck, Tyler leapt in front of her body to shield her from the attack. Klaus snarled, baring his fangs, as he was suddenly inches away from his own face, which was contorted in uncharacteristic confusion and fear.

"Just back away, man," said Tyler precariously. "This isn't going to help."

"It wasn't me who did this to you," said Bonnie shakily, wiping the blood from her nose with the palm of her hand. "It was the spirits. They're angry."

Klaus's eyes bore into hers. "Well _fix_ it," he spat out.

"That's a little bit hard to do when you're trying to _kill_ me," Bonnie snapped.

With one last glare, Klaus backed away, allowing his vampiric urges to be repressed. He observed Tyler, who remained crouched on the floor. The leap to protect Bonnie had knocked him around as the body he was in still fought to heal itself. Scowling at his own pitiful form, Klaus retrieved a blood bag from the supplies he'd brought and threw it at Tyler. The last thing Klaus needed was for his body to remain weak – even if he still hadn't returned to it.

"What are you waiting for then, witch?" said Klaus, as Bonnie lit a few more candles. "Change us back."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's not going to be that easy."

"Not quite the words I want to hear right now," he replied, clenching his jaw.

"I can still feel the spirits' energy pulsing through me," she explained, wincing slightly as she ran her hand over her chest. "If I try the spell again tonight it may not end up well – for _any_ of us."

"One in three chance," mused Klaus. "I'm pretty willing to take that risk."

Tyler lobbed the now-empty blood bag back at Klaus before standing up. "OK, first of all, how about you stop being a dick? And second of all, _what the hell_?" he said, gesturing at himself. "I thought when I agreed to do this crap I'd still essentially be in my own body, not in Captain British over here."

"It _was_ supposed to be a normal possession spell, Tyler," Bonnie replied. "But I'm pretty sure I'm being punished for making a deal with Satan, _even though it was for my friends and family's own good_," she addressed the open space of the room. "Do any of you witchy ancestor folk remember that tiny fact?" she added in irritation.

"Enough!" Klaus growled. "What's left of my patience is hanging by a thread, so I suggest we formulate a plan so I can get the hell out of this poor excuse for a vessel."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Ditto to that."

"Funny how you seemed to enjoy the advantages last week," Bonnie muttered under her breath while she closed the lid on Klaus's coffin.

"Wait, what did you say?" said Tyler, staring at his friend. "What advantages?" The realization abruptly dawned on him as he sped over to Klaus, bailing him up by his shirt. "What did you do to Caroline?" he yelled. "If you touched her I swear…"

Klaus remained unmoved, smirking at him. "How about you unhand me, _mate_. Our bodies may be different but our minds and histories remain the same, so by my calculations," he latched onto Tyler's left wrist, making him hiss as he bent it back, "we've still got our own original strengths." He laughed as Tyler reluctantly broke away. "Or lack thereof it seems."

"You still didn't answer my question," said Tyler through gritted teeth. "What did you do to Caroline?"

"Oh you know," smiled Klaus, "we took a walk in the park, had a few candlelit meals together, enjoyed each other's company," he added in a low voice. "All very romantic," he mocked.

"You sick bastard!" Tyler dove for Klaus once more, but Klaus easily darted away in a flash. "You promised you'd keep him away from her, Bonnie! It was the only condition I had."

Bonnie held up her hands to placate him. "Tyler, I did keep him away, I swear." She threw a foul look towards Klaus. "He's just being an ass and winding you up. Caroline only saw him once – briefly."

Tyler jerked his head back towards Klaus, who continued to smirk at him. "Scout's honor," said Klaus, holding three fingers up in a salute.

Tyler stood there fuming before reaching a decision. "I need to see her. Now."

"Looking like _that_?" Bonnie reminded him. "Without any warning?"

"So we'll warn her. I want to see my girlfriend."

Klaus sneered at Tyler's words as he stooped to collect the satchel he'd brought in. "I think we need to get this spell reversed first. The happy reunion can wait."

"You know what, maybe it can't," sighed Bonnie. "I'm going to have to find my mom again and talk to her to figure out what I'm going to do. She's a lot better versed in this than I am, but it could take a few days."

"We'll just lay low at the Manor then," stated Klaus, privately eager to see Caroline himself, but knowing that once the truth was out all hell would break loose.

"I'm not willing to lie to my best friend any longer," said Bonnie, setting her mouth in determination. "She'll find out everything tomorrow morning – and the both of you are going to be there."

* * *

Caroline sat at her vanity mirror, dabbing concealer under her eyes. _You've got more bags than a Louis Vuitton store_, she chided herself. Caroline had been used to having restless sleep, but last night's dream had really taken it out of her. Even with the bright morning light filtering through her bedroom, she still felt unsettled in her surroundings, as if something strange had shifted overnight. As she applied the rest of her make-up, her line of vision drifted to the reflection of her bedside table in the mirror. Klaus's sketch taunted her from the closed drawer, and thoughts of his confession about his father became vivid once more in her mind. _Damn dream life_, she scoffed. What had started out as simple company for her loneliness had turned into something more personal than she'd anticipated. If there was one thing she was thankful for, though, it was the fact that she could keep these strange little mind meetings to herself. Caroline could only imagine what Matt or Bonnie would say if she told them she'd been 'hanging out' with everyone's favorite Original in her downtime.

Checking her watch, Caroline saw that she still had twenty minutes to get to Bonnie's house. She received a cryptic text from her friend earlier that morning, telling her to come over at nine. Caroline had sent a text back for more details, wondering if it had to do with assisting Tyler, but Bonnie didn't reply. Even though she was content snuggling with Tyler last night in the cemetery, talking about places they could visit together one day, she was happy to let him leave when he explained he was getting help for his 'wolfing out' problem and hoped Bonnie was the helper in question.

"Your coffee's getting cold, Caroline," a voice called out.

"Coming mom!" Caroline quickly gathered up her purse and gave herself one last scrutinizing glance before heading to the kitchen.

Liz handed her daughter a red mug from the bench, giving her a concerned onceover. "Rough night, sweetie? You look paler than usual."

"Wow, thanks," Caroline teased, taking a sip of her drink. "Sheriff Forbes, shooting out awesome compliments today instead of bullets."

"Sorry," Liz smiled, ironing the last few creases out of her work shirt. "I just meant you seem a bit tired. Is everything OK?"

Caroline shrugged and took a seat at the table. "As OK as it ever is."

"That's not really an answer."

"I'm fine, mom, no need to interrogate me," she replied, forcing herself to smile. "Save your energy for your interviews today. What was it for again? A new deputy or something?"

Liz nodded and switched the iron off, sliding her shirt over her tank top. "That's going to be fun. I wish I could just lead in with the question, 'So, how do you feel about guarding the town from various evil supernatural beings?' but it doesn't quite work like that."

"It _would_ save a lot of time," Caroline mused.

"True," said Liz, pouring the rest of the coffee into a thermos. "It means I might be late tonight, sorry, since all my usual work will be pushed back."

"That's alright. I could be busy anyway," she replied, hoping she might get the chance to see Tyler again if Bonnie's text meant what she thought it did.

"OK, I'll see you when I see you then." Liz grabbed her keys from the rack before pausing. "I didn't find any flowers on the porch today when I collected the newspaper," she said lightly. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Caroline tried to hide her surprise; although she _was_ technically given _two_ bunches the day before, so maybe Tyler had earned a day off. "It's not even a thing," she smiled. "Anyway, don't worry about me, you're going to be late." She shooed her mom out of the door and stood up to put her mug in the sink. There was no need to get mopey over missing flowers when she might be seeing Tyler very shortly.

* * *

Hearing the doorbell ring, Bonnie swallowed nervously before making her way to the front door where she could see Caroline's shadowy outline through the frosted glass. Squaring her shoulders, she turned the handle.

"Hey, Bon!" said Caroline, entering the house. "I'm so happy you texted me, it's been ages since we've hung out." She noticed how drained her friend appeared. "Wow, you look about as perky as me this morning. Good thing my mom's not here with her sparkling commentary."

"What?" said Bonnie, throwing distracted glances towards the back of the house.

"Never mind."

"Um, how about we go into the kitchen? I could make us a coffee."

Caroline nodded and followed her into the room. "I may have to lace mine with a shot of blood," she said, patting her purse. "That part of the routine still doesn't feel comfortable over breakfast with the parental."

Bonnie opened the cupboard to get some mugs while Caroline leapt onto the bench to sit, stealing a few grapes from the fruit bowl. "So what are the plans for today?" said Caroline. "Lunch? Shopping? I could probably use some new concealer because this one is obviously not doing its job."

"Care," Bonnie interrupted, setting down the mugs. "I didn't ask you over so we could hang out." She took a deep breath. "There's something important I need to tell you." Bonnie was surprised when Caroline didn't appear too fazed by the sudden serious turn.

"Is it something to do with my text you didn't answer?" she asked.

"… In a way." Bonnie wrung her hands together, taking a few steps back. "Just wait here a sec, OK?"

"Sure." Caroline couldn't help a small smile creep up her lips at what she hoped was about to happen. Sure enough, a few moments later Bonnie retuned to the kitchen, trailed closely by Tyler. Caroline hopped down from the bench, but Tyler remained in the doorway. "I knew Bonnie was the one helping you out," she said happily. "You should have told me earlier and I could have been there too."

Klaus memorized the last moment of warmth directed his way from her, feeling the clock ticking down in his mind until the inevitable. _Ten, nine, eight..._ "Whatever happens today, just know that I never intended to hurt you, Caroline," he said, his voice thick. _Seven, six, five…_

Caroline's face fell slightly. "Why are you talking like that? What's happening today?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry." _… Four, three, two, one._

In the next second Caroline saw Klaus's figure unexpectedly appear in the doorway next to Tyler and her world drained of all sense and sound. She stared at the Original, who by all accounts should be dearly departed, floundering for reasons why he was alive _and standing in Bonnie's freakin' house_. For one fleeting moment Caroline thought she was dreaming, but she knew there were too many people in the room for that to be true.

"You died," she blurted out. "Alaric staked you. You're supposed to be dead." She turned towards Bonnie. "What the hell is going on?"

Glancing at the men, who wore equal apprehensive looks, Bonnie grabbed hold of Caroline's hand. "Something happened the night Alaric tried to take us all down. I knew Klaus's body wouldn't be safe in that storage locker, that Alaric would find some way to overpower us and kill Klaus for good. Do you remember what that meant?"

"Klaus died we all died," Caroline murmured, unable to take her eyes off the two vampires before her.

"Exactly. And I was scared, Caroline. Scared for my friends, scared for my mom – so I did the only thing I could think of." Bonnie tightened her grip on her friend's hand. "I cast a body possession spell so that Klaus's soul would be kept safe."

Caroline froze, understanding the implications. "You put him in Tyler's body."

"I thought it'd be simple, that I could swap him back immediately without anyone knowing. But things went wrong." She bit her lip, hating how tense Caroline was in that moment. "Klaus's body took longer to heal than I thought, and then when I finally attempted the spell last night the spirits interfered and transferred Tyler's essence into Klaus's body."

"So what you're saying," Caroline replied evenly, "is that Tyler is Klaus and Klaus is Tyler?" She stilled when she noticed Klaus take a step towards her.

"It's me, Care," said Tyler. "Bonnie's telling the truth. I gave her my permission to go through with it."

Lightheaded, Caroline darted her eyes towards Tyler's body, as Klaus gave her a solemn nod in return. "Oh my God," she slowly breathed out.

"Caroline," said Bonnie, but she felt her friend's hand slip from her grasp.

"Oh my freakin' _God_," she raged, backing away from everyone towards the sink. "Are you kidding me with this right now?"

"We did it to help you," Bonnie pleaded. "You have to believe me."

"You know what would have 'helped' me, Bon? Knowing the truth from the start so I wouldn't have made a fool out of myself!" She clenched her fists in anger. "I can't believe you'd do this to me," she said, glaring towards the door.

Tyler appeared pained. "I didn't want you to die, Care."

"No, not you," she angrily cut him off, pointing towards the man who she now knew to be Klaus. "_Him_." Caroline's face clouded even more. "How _dare_ you use this situation to your own advantage and manipulate me like that?" Her eyes filled with upset and betrayal. _How dare you make me care for you when I thought you were someone else?_

"It wasn't like that, love," Klaus began, feeling every searing hurt from her gaze directed his way. But Caroline held up her hand to stop him.

"Shut up. Just _shut up_. I don't want to hear it." She grabbed her purse. "I don't want to hear anything from _any_ of you because how am I supposed to know if you're just spinning me more lies?" Caroline stormed off to the front door. "I need to get out of here."

"Caroline wait!" said Bonnie, chasing after her. But Caroline was already gone.

_Continued…_

* * *

**I'm happy you guys liked the twist last chapter - and thank you again for the reviews & story alerts. Apologies my updates aren't as quick as they should be, but I'm hoping to rectify that (oh to have vampire super speed in a fic writing sense!). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's lots more fun to come.**


	6. Chapter 6

Caroline glowered at her phone as it vibrated from another missed call. Bonnie had been trying to contact her ever since she ran off over an hour ago, but she was in no mood to speak to anyone. Instead, she'd been curled up on the sofa at the Salvatore's house trying to process her thoughts, hoping no one would think to look for her there. So far, though, her thoughts only consisted of one thing: fury. She was mad at Bonnie for keeping the spell a secret, but even more furious at Klaus for intruding his way into her life in such an intimate manner. _I confided in him, I took care of him. _Her stomach knotted. _I kissed him. _Moments flickered through her mind of the time she'd spent with 'Tyler', like some sort of twisted movie montage, before remembering how their intimate encounter in the tomb came to an end. Klaus, the guy whose motto was basically 'I do anything to get what I want', was the one who put a stop to things. _What was it he said? Some crap about not feeling completely like himself?_ She laughed humorlessly. _Major freakin' overstatement there. _But she was not about to feel anything even resembling gratitude towards him for showing 'restraint' when the whole ordeal was too ludicrous to begin with. That was like thanking a kidnapper for only tying your arms to a chair with rope but leaving your legs free.

Her cell buzzed again, this time with a text message. Shooting another irritated look towards the device, Caroline tossed it aside onto a cushion and made her way through the house towards the basement. She was hoping the Salvatore's blood supply was still stocked up even though they'd been away for a month. With everything that had happened this morning her bloodlust had been piqued and she needed a hit to calm her down. Caroline opened the storage fridge, relieved to find a few blood bags scattered around. Grabbing the nearest one, she tore it open and drank deeply from it, feeling her ire ebb away slightly. _Although_ _I don't even think an entire blood bank is going to help me right now…_

* * *

"Hi you've reached Caroline! I'm probably busy being fabulous, so leave a message and I'll get back to you soon. Unless I've finally married Ryan Gosling and he's whisked me off to Hollywood, in which case I'll send you a postcard…"

Bonnie sighed and hung up her cell. "Voicemail again," she explained to Tyler and Klaus, even though she knew full well they could hear everything.

"I kept asking her to change that message," Tyler said quietly, sitting on the edge of a table.

"What's the matter, mate?" said Klaus, leaning against the doorframe. "Afraid of a little competition?"

Shoulders stiffening, Tyler made a move towards Klaus when Bonnie stepped in front of him. "Can we just bury the testosterone for one second, please? This isn't helping."

"Neither are his stupid little comments," Tyler countered, hating the way Klaus was smirking at him. "You know, I've never wanted to punch my own face before but I guess there's a first time for everything."

"Go ahead," said Klaus, spreading his arms out as an invitation. "It would be my pleasure."

His jaw pulsating, Tyler clenched his fist – and slammed it down into the middle of the table, breaking it in half. "There," he said, enjoying the irritation on Klaus's face, "that feels much better."

"That table was _mahogany_ you twat," Klaus spat out.

"Am I invisible here?" said Bonnie, composing another text to Caroline. "There are bigger things to worry about than your pathetic alpha male contest." She eyed up her friend. "Tyler, stop destroying Klaus's belongings. And Klaus, just _stop_ in general for everyone's sanity."

"Why'd we even have to come back to Mikaelson Manor in the first place?" said Tyler. "We should be out looking for Caroline."

"You know why, Tyler. It's easier if you two stay under the radar until you're both back to normal."

Klaus strode across the room to inspect the damage to the table. "I've been cooped up for far too long already, sweetheart," he said flippantly, picking up a piece of splintered wood. "If this carries on much longer there's no telling what I might do."

Tyler and Bonnie warily eyed the makeshift stake Klaus was spinning around in his hand. "It's only going to be a few more days, max," said Bonnie. "I've already contacted my mom and I'm going to see her today." She gazed at her phone. "I just wish I could fix things with Caroline before I had to leave."

"Maybe Caroline just doesn't want to be found," said Klaus, recalling the way her eyes had burnt into his before she'd fled Bonnie's house.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" said Tyler.

Tuning out their arguing, Bonnie focused on the word 'found' and clicked on the cell finder app on her phone, internally berating herself for not thinking of it sooner. She entered Caroline's name and soon breathed a sigh of relief to see that she was at Stefan and Damon's house. Bonnie had no idea why, but it was better than discovering her friend had decided to leave town in anger.

Klaus noticed the tension had lessened on Bonnie's face. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she lied, exiting the app. "I just realized it was time for me to go see Abby, which means I don't have to listen to your childish bickering anymore." She felt bad for keeping Caroline's whereabouts from Tyler, but there was no way she wanted Klaus to be privy to the information. Or for either of the men to be enticed to leave the house. "I'm going to keep trying to get in touch with Caroline," she said, collecting her purse. "And for the love of God, _don't_ kill each other while I'm gone. I don't want to put in all this effort for nothing."

The men watched as she quickly left the dining room. Klaus spun the wood around in his hand a few more times before aiming it at the wall behind Tyler's head, hearing it sink into the plaster with a satisfying thwack. "You owe me a new table," sneered Klaus.

"Yeah, and you owe me my life back," Tyler retorted. "I think I win."

* * *

At a loss over what to do, Caroline found herself wandering through the Salvatore house trying to find something to occupy her mind. The boys definitely owned a lot of stuff, but most of it looked like it belonged in an antique shop. Not that she could see either of them stopping in at an IKEA to buy themselves some flat pack furniture, _but did everything have to look like it smelt weird?_ Caroline kept far away from Damon's room but decided Stefan's was safe enough to snoop in. She slowly walked around the large space, running her hand over the desk where everything was arranged neatly. She looked up at the bookshelf, which was full of first edition classics and books with titles that they were made to read at school. A row of journals caught her eye and Caroline felt a rush of intrigue as she realised they were Stefan's personal diaries. She felt guilty for a nanosecond before her curiosity won out and she reached for the last one, opening it to a random page.

_I've been observing him when I can, looking for anything that will help me understand. But the answers I have found worry me. I see the way he looks at her, the way everything else in the world ceases to exist when she's in the room. The way he holds her when they dance, like he's one second away from pulling her close and never letting go._

Caroline felt pity for her friend. She knew it wasn't easy for him to see how close Damon and Elena had become in his absence – and judging from their phone call, how that had continued now Elena was a vampire. Caroline remembered how edgy Stefan was the night of the ball, and the way he'd sullenly watched from the bar as Damon lead Elena to the dance floor. She quickly read on.

_I'm torn with this newfound knowledge. It's one thing to celebrate finding someone's weak spot and using it to your advantage, but not when that weakness comes at a personal cost. One thing's for certain, though. Klaus is playing a dangerous game, and we need to keep Caroline from becoming a pawn._

Standing in shock, the words swam in front of Caroline's eyes as the true nature of the passage sunk in. She hadn't even considered that anyone had been watching her and Klaus so intently that night, too preoccupied with lingering thoughts about her dad and keeping an eye on Matt and Rebekah. Caroline could only imagine what else Stefan would have wrote if she knew about her private chats with Klaus outside and in the gallery. No one would have believed her if she'd told them how sincere Klaus sounded when he spoke about his father, or when he expressed regret over no one knowing his work was residing in the Hermitage. _Not that anyone would notice_, his voice echoed in her mind. She hurriedly shook away those thoughts, not letting a few brief memories cloud her judgement over how angry she was at him now. Caroline snapped the diary shut and lifted her arm to place it back on the shelf, but something was stopping her. Knowing she was going to regret the decision later on, she tucked the diary into the crook of her elbow and rushed out of the bedroom down the stairs.

* * *

The sun had begun to set outside the living room window, but to Klaus it felt like he'd been pacing around his manor for an eternity. His irritation not only lay in the fact he was under a bizarre form of house arrest, but also because Tyler would follow him everywhere he went to keep an eye on him. "Don't you have anything better to do?" Klaus drawled, pouring himself a glass of scotch.

"Well breaking more furniture seems to be out of the question, so no," Tyler replied. He observed Klaus as he took a seat on the leather sofa. "How many times did you _really_ see Caroline?"

Klaus took a sip of his liquor. "Once."

"That's bullshit and we both know it." Tyler sat across from him on a leather armchair, folding his arms. "Caroline was way too upset at you for it just to have been a brief meeting." He leant forward, the temper evident in his voice. "How many times?"

"Alright, you got me," said Klaus, holding up his arms in mock surrender and revelling in the boy's frustration. "I saw her when I first returned, and then once more after that."

Tyler's body became tense. "And what happened?"

Klaus took another long swig. "I don't think you really want to know, mate," he smirked. "Besides, I'd never kiss and tell." Far from bursting with rage as Klaus predicted, Tyler instead just shook his head and scoffed out a laugh. "Care to share the joke with the rest of the class?" said Klaus warningly.

"Sure," said Tyler, leaning back in his seat. "The joke is _you_."

Eyes darkening, Klaus tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. "I'd proceed with caution if I were you."

"Why? Is the truth leaving a little sting?" He crossed one leg so his foot was resting on his knee. "You may have weaselled your way into Caroline's life for a brief moment, but there's no way she would have even spoken to you if she knew who you really were." Tyler could see he was playing with fire but the words kept spewing out. "Did you know she threw a party when she thought you died? Yeah, we had a nice little celebration," he taunted. "That's how much she thinks of you."

Klaus could feel veins threatening to rise up on his cheeks under his skin, searing hatred coursing through his body. But it wasn't directed at Caroline. He'd already known about the party – all of Tyler's memories had become his for the taking once the body possession had begun. What Tyler had failed to add, however, was the way Caroline had acted _afterwards_. Thanks to another stolen memory, Klaus knew that when the party wrapped up, she'd gone back to the Forbes' house with Tyler.

_Thinking Tyler was asleep, Caroline quietly opened her bedside drawer and took out the sketch Klaus had drawn her. Tyler was pained to see that she still had it in her possession, but didn't say anything, instead he just watched as she padded over to the window under the moonlight. Caroline gazed at the drawing with a mixture of confusion and – much to Tyler's bafflement – distress, before glancing up at the night sky. "No stars," she quietly muttered, before her phone rang shrilly. Rushing back to bed, she shoved the picture in the drawer and answered the call from Jeremy as Tyler pretended to wake up. _

Klaus brought himself back to the present as Tyler sat there with a condescending smile. No, he wasn't annoyed with Caroline. He was annoyed with the moronic asshole before him who was biting off far more than he could chew.

Placing his scotch glass on the coffee table, Klaus clasped his hands together and leant forward with a broad grin, slightly disarming Tyler's confidence. "Well, thank you for your honesty, Tyler," he said, earning even more confusion from his foe. "I do admire that. I don't often have it directed my way. But when it happens I let people know how much it means to me." He reached into the small drawer under the table and brought out some rough drafts of his old sketches, including one he knew would get Tyler charged up. Klaus placed the drawings on the table, leaving the one of Caroline and the horse on top. "I really should get the original one framed for her since she seems to be so fond of it."

Tyler seethed, digging his nails into the sides of the chair. "In your dreams you sick, deluded bastard." His jaw clenched as Klaus laughed.

"Perhaps not _my_ dreams," Klaus smirked. "But you know what they say, our dreams often play out our hidden desires." Having grown tired of Tyler's bleating, Klaus abruptly stood and made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" said Tyler accusingly. "Bonnie said to stay here."

"Your mind-numbing company has become a chore. I'm going back to the school to see if there's any remanets from the spell we missed that might be useful." He put up his hand before Tyler could open his mouth again. "I'll be under the cover of darkness, no one will notice me."

"Don't even think about trying to see Caroline," said Tyler. "She won't want to speak to you."

"And I'm sure the same applies to you," he said, eyes blazing. "Ruin any more of my possessions while I'm gone and I'll tear out your liver when we're back to normal."

Tyler resisted the urge to throw Klaus's empty scotch tumbler at his retreating figure. Sitting alone with too many thoughts draining him, Tyler stood up and grabbed a full bottle of alcohol, unscrewing the lid to take a long drink.

* * *

Caroline stumbled through her empty house, cranking the music up on her iPod dock as she passed the kitchen. Not only did she swipe Stefan's journal, but a nice bottle of vodka from their alcohol stash too. _I'm so grateful Matt can't see me right now_, she thought with a twinge of guilt as she brought the bottle up for another pull. It felt lighter than it had before and Caroline was bemused to see there was only less than a quarter of it left from a full bottle. _Now is probably not a good time to find out if vampires can get alcohol poisoning…_

She found her way back to the living room and picked up the diary where she'd left it on the sofa, toying with the pages. It had sat there taunting her all day with its mysteries. Caroline had been completely ready to read the whole thing when she took it initially, but now she wasn't so sure she wanted to know what else Stefan had observed. _He's way too good at lurking around. Lurky McLurkyson_, she thought drunkenly. _What if he was there at the decade dance and saw the way Klaus kept looking at me? Stefan should really wear a bell around his neck._

Caroline jumped when a bell of another kind rang – the doorbell. Clutching her vodka, she slowly crept down the hall towards the front door, freezing when someone stepped into view behind the glass.

Klaus.

_No, not Klaus. It's Tyler,_ she had to remind herself through her inebriated haze. But she knew that even if she were sober, it would still be a strange image to try and process. With caution, she slowly opened the door and stared at him.

Tyler stared back, opening and shutting his mouth a few times before finding his voice. "Hey."

Caroline frowned. "What do you want, Tyler?"

"Can we talk? Please? Even just for a second." He brought out a near-empty bottle from behind his back. "I worked up the Dutch courage and everything."

"I guess it's that kind of night," she evenly replied, bringing her own alcohol into view to show him. With a sigh, she stepped outside and closed the door, taking a seat on the top step. Tyler followed suit, sitting beside her. "This is really weird," she said softly, glancing out the corner of her eye to see Klaus's face looking back at her.

"Tell me about it," said Tyler. "They don't teach you this in Hybrid school," he joked half-heartedly, but his smile soon faded. "I am so, so sorry you've been put through all this. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way."

"I know," said Caroline. "I'm still angry, but I do understand. Bonnie left me about a thousand messages saying the same thing." She twisted the bottle cap around in her hand. "I know if I had the power and the chance to save everyone, I would have gone through with it too. The way I was kept in the dark about everything, though…"

"It was a dick move," Tyler filled in, wondering why Caroline suddenly started to laugh. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just hearing those words in that accent doesn't really mesh."

Tyler broke into a smile of his own. "True. I've never heard myself sound so posh either. I don't even understand half the words that come out of Klaus's mouth."

They chuckled together for a short moment, before Caroline's merriment turned into a ragged sob. "I'm sorry, I can't do this," she said, scrambling to her feet. "I can't sit here and laugh and pretend everything's OK. It's just too weird right now."

Putting his alcohol on the ground next to the abandoned vodka, Tyler leapt up and caught Caroline's arm before she could go inside. "Care, wait…"

She felt tears prick her eyes at the sound of her familiar nickname coming from such an unfamiliar source. "Tyler, don't."

"I miss you," he said, taking her other hand so he was holding them both.

Caroline lifted her head, feeling woozy, and was met with Klaus's eyes piercing into her own. She blinked, trying to reconcile his face with Tyler's, but all she could register was dirty blond hair, the stubble across his chin and those red lips. She'd always wondered how the color was so deep, a small part of her speculating if the copious amount of blood Klaus had consumed over the centuries had stained them for eternity. They both swayed on the spot, alcohol coursing through them, which Caroline tried to believe was the only reason she was currently leaning forward and pressing her lips to his.

Tyler responded in kind, too numb from the scotch to register how wrong this was, and too passion-fuelled to care. _Tyler, Tyler, Tyler_, Caroline chanted in her mind, but the sensation of Klaus's mouth against her own was too different to disguise. His lips were soft and his whiskers scratched against her skin, and she hated herself for cataloguing these details. Feeling a heady mixture of intrigue and disgust, Caroline was about to break away when she found someone else doing the job for her.

"Get away from her!" a voice called out.

Caroline felt herself being shoved down the stairs while Tyler was ripped away and forced up against the door by the last person Caroline expected to see.

Elena had one arm pressed up against Tyler's throat while the other held his body in place. Tyler stared at her in awe when he saw her fangs bared and cheeks lined with black veins.

"Elena," said Caroline, finding her voice. "It's not what you think."

"What do you mean 'it's not what I think'? What the hell is going on?" She glared back towards Tyler. "How is Klaus alive?"

"It's not Klaus," said Caroline shakily. "It's Tyler. Bonnie did a possession spell but it went wrong. They're stuck in each other's bodies."

Elena gaped at her then back at Tyler. "What? You're… you're _Tyler_?" she said in bewilderment.

"You're a vampire?" he replied, equally astonished before realizing the implications. "Wait, and you rushed at me like that thinking I was Klaus? Do you know how pissed he'd be!"

"I saw him all over my best friend, I really wasn't thinking at all," Elena admitted sheepishly, releasing her stranglehold on him. "Wait, if he's in Tyler's body – does that mean he knows about me?" she said, her panic renewed.

"No," said Caroline, "but you really should come inside so you can get the full details." She paused before nodding at Tyler. "You can come too."

Tyler headed in first but Caroline grabbed Elena before she could follow, hugging her friend tightly. "Welcome back to the madness," she whispered with a sad smile. Elena gave her a squeeze before they both went inside.

Six houses down, hidden in the shadows of the night, stood Klaus. His whole body teemed with silent rage. He'd been there long enough to witness the kiss, which had left him with a distorted stab of jealousy that was too insane and dysfunctional to even fathom. But everything had turned to white noise the moment he saw Elena fly in and pin Tyler to the wall with the strength of someone decidedly non-human.

His doppelganger was a vampire.

There was going to be _hell_ to pay.

_Continued…_

* * *

**I couldn't resist with the mahogany line (looks as though Klaus has been Effie Trinket-ed as well as Tyler-d). A big hello & thank you to everyone reading & reviewing this story, too. Sorry I didn't get around to replying individually to the reviews for the last chapter, but I really do appreciate them! It's always nice to hear from you. I hope you guys continue to enjoy the fic.**


	7. Chapter 7

Blood trickled down the young girl's neck, soaking into her brunette hair, as she choked back fearful sobs. The desperation radiating off her, combined with the fact that she'd been compelled not to scream, only made Klaus grasp her body tighter.

"Why are you doing this?" she whimpered, as his fangs sank deeper into her skin. "We go to school together." She struggled uselessly in his hold, her crying becoming more distressed. "Please don't kill me."

Lifting his head, Klaus smirked against the side of her face, smearing blood across his victim's cheek. "Now where's the fun in that, love?" He was about to rip into her throat when he heard two familiar voices coming from the storage room inside the Grill. Klaus let the girl's body unceremoniously fall to the ground of the alleyway behind the building, moving closer to watch through a window.

"So the boss said you could start back tomorrow. That's great," said Matt, grabbing more supplies off the shelf to stock the bar.

"Yeah, I guess," said Jeremy, passing his friend a few bags of peanuts. "You still haven't answered my question, though. When are you coming to see Elena? She's kinda bummed you haven't been answering her texts for a month."

"I've been busy working," he shrugged. "I didn't think she'd need me."

Jeremy paused, knowing he had to tread lightly. "She doesn't blame you, man. Driving off that bridge, she knows it was an accident."

Klaus's eyes darkened as he stared at the bartender, one of the pieces clicking into place of who was involved in his doppelganger's demise.

"It's not just that," said Matt in a strained voice. "It's everything. I shouldn't even be alive right now."

"I'm glad we can agree on something," said Klaus, stepping through the back door to make his presence known.

Jeremy and Matt nearly dropped what they were carrying when they saw the intruder. "Tyler?" said Matt apprehensively. "But you're…"

"You died," Jeremy blurted out, equally as confused. "And what do you mean 'we can agree on something'?"

But before Jeremy could ask any more questions, Klaus rushed forward and slammed the boy's head into Matt's, knocking them unconscious.

* * *

Caroline's foot nervously tapped against the spine of Stefan's diary where she'd shoved it under the sofa. There were already so many things to explain to Elena, she didn't want to add another to the pile. She'd just recounted the entire Klaus/Tyler debacle to her friend in greater length, with Tyler throwing in specifics where he could. And in turn, Elena had briefly told Tyler about her transformation.

"I still can't believe you came at me before when you thought I was Klaus," said Tyler. "You being a vampire is like his worst nightmare. He's going to be on the warpath when he realizes."

"I know," said Elena, staring down at her hands. "But I couldn't stay away from Mystic Falls forever. It's my home too."

"It's a miracle Klaus didn't find out sooner," said Caroline. "Who knows what I could have blurted out when I thought he was someone else." She gave a pointed look to Tyler. "Oh hey, there's _another_ reason I should have been in on the secret. You know how much my mouth likes to blabber!"

Tyler flinched. "Bonnie and I didn't think it would be dragged out for this long. It made sense at the start," he finished lamely.

Caroline closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. "… I know. And now's not the time for me to be lashing out – not when we have to keep Elena safe."

"And here I was thinking my damsel in distress days would be over," said Elena, smiling half-heartedly. "It's never going to end, is it? There's always going to be something."

"Hey, don't talk like that," said Caroline, giving her hand a squeeze. "You don't know what's going to happen. Maybe there's a way to get through to Klaus without him going all psycho?"

"Good luck with that," scoffed Tyler. "The guy's a dick." Elena couldn't help her lips from quirking up, which Tyler noticed. "I know. I still haven't adjusted to the accent either. But the point still stands: Klaus is a heartless bastard who doesn't give a shit about anyone except for himself."

Caroline dug her heel into the hidden diary. _That's not entirely true_, she thought, unsure if she wanted to deal with the complicated ramifications of that fact. Hearing a loud knock at the door, Caroline motioned for Elena and Tyler to stay put until she knew whom it was. The last thing they needed was for Klaus to pay a visit. _Elena's not the only one who can't handle seeing him right now._ But the only people standing outside were Stefan and Damon.

"Hi," said Caroline, opening the door. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're selling Girl Scout cookies," Damon drawled. "Or maybe we should be selling Girl Scout liquor by the looks of those empties," he added, eyeing up the front step. "Why do you think we're here, Barbie? Where's Elena?"

"She's down the hall."

Stefan swapped a quick look with his brother. "And she's been here the past half hour?"

"Yes," Caroline frowned. "Stefan, what's going on?"

"That's exactly what I want to know," said Elena, walking out of the living room to join them. She came to a standstill beside Caroline, folding her arms. "I told you I was coming to see Caroline. I thought you both agreed to give this whole suffocating bodyguard thing a miss now we were home?"

"So you haven't been near the Grill?" said Damon cautiously.

"No. Why, what happened at the Grill?"

"There was a vampire attack," he replied, noting the concern on Elena and Caroline's faces. "Me and Stefan were driving past just before when we saw cops and paramedics. Liz was there with some new deputy but all she could tell us was that before the victim passed out, they mentioned their attacker was from school."

Angry realization dawned on Elena. "You thought it was me," she said, exasperated. "I can't _believe_ you guys."

"Elena," Stefan began, but stopped when she shot him a spiteful look.

"Don't, Stefan," she warned. "Just don't, OK? What happened at the gas station was a once off. I told you that."

Caroline was brimming with curiosity, but before she could say anything, Tyler chose to walk out and make himself known.

"I think I know who attacked that girl," he said.

A split second was all Caroline had before the Salvatores went into assault mode. She threw herself in front of Tyler, feeling Stefan and Damon loom over her. "Stop!" she yelled. "It's not Klaus! It's Tyler!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Blondie?" Damon raged, moving closer.

Caroline backed Tyler up against the wall, cursing his idiotic timing, as Elena came to help her, trying to pull the brothers away.

"She's telling the truth," said Elena, gripping onto Stefan and Damon's arms. "It's a long story, but Tyler's in Klaus's body, and Klaus is in Tyler's."

"Why is _anyone_ in Klaus's body?" said Damon, eyes flashing. "His ashes should be fish food on the ocean floor by now."

"Bonnie cast a possession spell," said Tyler. "She did it to save everyone's asses."

Stefan stared dazedly at Klaus's body. "Why weren't we told?"

Caroline waited for Stefan and Damon to hesitantly back away before she answered. "Don't worry, I only found out this morning, too," she said quietly. Hoping the boys would stay put Caroline stepped away from Tyler as Elena took out her phone.

"This is beyond crazy," sneered Damon before pausing. "Wait a minute, how do you know who attacked that girl?"

Tyler swallowed apprehensively. "I think it might have been Klaus. You said the girl went to school with the attacker – she would have thought it was me biting her."

"Guys, I can't get a hold of Jeremy," said Elena, shakily hanging up her cell. "He was going to the Grill tonight to figure out his work schedule. What if he saw Klaus and was tricked into thinking it was Tyler?"

"We'll go and check it out. You can't let Klaus see you just yet," said Stefan, turning towards Caroline. "Where's he been staying?"

"At the manor," Caroline replied. "But why would he suddenly mess around with Jeremy? I don't understand."

"Why does Klaus do anything that he does?" said Damon. "The guy's a dick."

"My thoughts exactly," said Tyler, earning a reproachful look from Damon. "What?"

"I know there's the whole Freaky Friday thing going on, but I'm still repressing the urge to drive a stake into you. _Sorry_," he said, holding up his hands in mock apology.

"Yeah, really sounds that way," said Tyler wryly.

The Salvatores were ready to leave when Elena's phone beeped. "It's a text from Matt," she said in surprise, before her hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" said Caroline, grabbing the cell for a better look. Reading the message she felt a chill of sobriety completely overtake her. "_I know your little secret_," she said aloud for the guys to hear. "_Klaus_."

"He has to have both of them," gasped Elena.

"Damon and I are on our way," said Stefan heading towards the door with his brother.

"No," said Caroline. "We're _all_ going." She had no idea what the hell she was going to do once she got there, but she was sticking to her earlier thought. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way to get through to Klaus before it was too late.

* * *

Matt groggily opened his eyes, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his head. Blinking a few times to gage his surroundings, he became panicked when he realized he was chained to the ceiling by his arms. Regaining his footing so he wasn't hanging like a rag doll, Matt began to struggle against his restraints.

"I've already tried that. We're stuck."

Turning to his left, Matt saw Jeremy chained up in the exact same fashion, sporting a large bruise on his forehead. "What the hell happened? And why are we at the Originals' house?"

Jeremy was equally as stumped. "I have no freakin' clue. But I'm thinking that whatever happened to Tyler, he came back wrong. Like a zombie or something."

"A _zombie_?" Matt deadpanned.

"Hey, he could be!" said Jeremy defensively. "Do I have to remind you we live with vampires, werewolves and ghosts? Zombies aren't out of the realm of possibility you know."

"Nice to see you're thinking outside the box," said Klaus, sauntering into the bare front room with a fire poker in his hand. "But I'm not really into brains. More of a heart or liver man myself," he said, tracing the top of the poker against Jeremy's shirt.

"What's happened to you?" said Matt, tensing as the weapon came his way. "You're not acting like yourself."

Jeremy ignored the snort of laughter from Tyler. "Come on, man, just let us go. You don't have to do this."

"Whatever's making you act this way we can help you," added Matt. "Just unchain us before you do any serious damage."

This only served to make Klaus even more amused. "What would the point in that be?" he grinned. Taking a step back, Klaus observed their confused expressions. "Let me fill you in on a secret, chaps. _Tyler isn't home anymore_."

"I don't understand," said Matt.

"It's quite simple, really," Klaus replied, twirling the metal around in his hand. "Thanks to a certain witch and a certain possession spell, I was able to escape the confines of my desiccation deathbed and find a new body to reside in for a while." Klaus smirked at them. "You can't keep a good Original down."

The boys' eyes widened in fearful understanding. "Klaus," Jeremy breathed out slowly.

"The one and only."

Matt warily eyed the fire poker. "Why did you kidnap us?" he stuttered, as Klaus's features suddenly blackened.

"Because it seems I wasn't the only one with a secret," Klaus replied harshly. "I know what happened to Elena. And I know what part you played, _Matt_."

Jeremy could see all the color drain from Matt's face as he became frozen on the spot. "It wasn't his fault!" he yelled. "Just leave him alone!"

Klaus stared the young Gilbert's way. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," he said, his eyes flicking up towards Jeremy's hand.

It was Jeremy's turn to panic as he rubbed his fingers against each other, noticing something was missing. "You took my ring," he murmured.

"You should probably be thanking me for doing you a favor," said Klaus. "Wouldn't want to end up like your unhinged guardian now, would we?"

Jeremy's temper flared. "There's only one unhinged person around here," he said through gritted teeth.

"Careful," said Klaus, lifting the poker and holding it towards the boy's neck. "I was only really after the bartender, you were just along for the ride. But I'm happy to add you to the list." He paused when he heard an angry voice behind him.

"If you even so much as scratch him with that thing, Klaus, I swear to God I will kill you," Elena seethed, as everyone else came to reside next to her in the doorway.

"What the hell?" Matt said under his breath, noticing 'Klaus' standing loyally with his friends.

"I have a feeling we've found the real Tyler," Jeremy muttered out the corner of his mouth.

"Oh good, the whole gang's here," said Klaus, turning to see his audience. "You're just in time for the show."

"Is it the 'let's kick Klaus's ass' show?" said Damon, strolling forward. "That's always my favorite kind, even if they're repeats."

Klaus gave him a forced smile. "There's that Salvatore wit I haven't missed. And what about you, Stefan?" he asked as Stefan stepped up to join his brother, along with Tyler. "Any greetings for your old pal, or will some good old-fashioned violence suffice?"

"No violence necessary, Klaus," Stefan replied evenly. "We're going to take Jeremy and Matt and you're going to leave everyone alone. End of story."

"And why exactly would I do that?"

"Because Matt's not to blame for what happened to Elena," said Caroline, finally finding her voice. "I heard what you said before," she added.

Klaus stared at her, noticing the way she was standing apart from the others. "He was behind the wheel wasn't he?" he said matter-of-factly. "He lost control of the vehicle and plunged into the river?" Klaus prodded Matt's ribcage with the poker. "What was it you said earlier? Oh yes, that's right, _you_ should have been the one to die."

Elena felt a surge of remorse rush through her at the look of utter guilt and shame on Matt's face. "Matt you can't think that way," she pleaded. "I made my choice, and I'd make the same one again if I had to."

"You don't deserve this life, Elena," Matt replied, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry."

"It seems he's happy to carry the blame to me," Klaus shrugged. "So if we're done with the pity party…"

"Rebekah made them drive off the bridge," Caroline blurted out, immediately observing the way Klaus became eerily still. "If you're going to play the blame game then your sister's first in line."

"You're lying," he spat out.

Caroline boldly walked forward until she was directly in front of him. "As much as you deserve it for lying to me this whole time, I can promise you, Klaus. I'm _not_ lying about this." She met his eyes with hers. "Rebekah wanted to avenge your death so she stood in front of Matt's truck leaving him with no choice."

The room fell silent as everyone tried to anticipate Klaus's next move. The Salvatores, Elena and Tyler braced themselves to rush in and rescue Matt and Jeremy from the vicious onslaught of rage they expected to follow. But Caroline was the only one who could see the flicker of betrayal flash across Klaus's eyes as he processed his sister's actions. She dug her nails into her palms, relaxing only slightly when Klaus dropped the poker to the ground with an echoing clatter.

"Get the hell out of my house," snarled Klaus to the group. "Take your pathetic humans and _leave_ before I tear them limb from limb." He moved away from Caroline without so much as a glance, pushing past Stefan and Damon on his way out of the room.

"Jeremy," Elena said in relief, as she rushed forward to free her brother from his chains while Tyler did the same for Matt.

"Well that was easier than I thought," mused Damon, crossing over to help his friends.

"Too easy," said Stefan, the concern evident on his face. "I don't think this is over. Not by a long shot."

"We can worry about that later," said Elena, wrapping Jeremy's arm over her shoulders to keep him steady. "Right now we have to get these guys home. And _we_ need to talk at some point," she said softly to Matt who nodded solemnly back at her.

"I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on Klaus," said Stefan. "Make sure he doesn't go wandering."

Caroline watched as her friends began to exit the room. "No. I think I should be the one to stay."

"Are you insane, Care?" sputtered Tyler. "You're not staying here with that homicidal maniac."

"I can make my own decisions, Tyler," she replied.

"Yeah, stupid decisions," Damon chimed in. "I've already used up my rescue quota for the evening. I don't really want to come back and save your ass."

Caroline glared at him. "Who says I'll need you to?" She could see Elena and Matt start to protest so she held up a hand to shush them. "Please guys, I need to do this. It's not just about keeping an eye on him – it's for my own reasons, too. I thought avoiding him after the whole body swap reveal was the answer, but now I know I need to speak with him for my own peace of mind." Caroline could see her friends were still reluctant to leave but knew she wasn't about to back down either.

"Call us if you need anything," Elena finally sighed.

"And see if you can get my ring back," added Jeremy.

"I will," said Caroline, smiling at Matt when he held out his pinky to her.

"Stay safe and see you in the morning?" he recited.

"Ditto," she said, linking her finger with his.

Tyler's face was unreadable as he passed Matt over to Damon to haul out. "Just be careful, alright?" he said to Caroline.

"I'll be fine, Tyler," she assured him. "You should stay with Stefan and Damon for the time being… I'll speak to you soon."

Stefan waited until the rest of them had moved on before addressing Caroline. "I know you can handle yourself, but I'm still going to keep guard outside." He raised his eyebrows before she could reply. "It's for _my_ own peace of mind, OK?"

Caroline gave him a small smile. "OK," she nodded.

* * *

There was no noise in the manor aside from the ticking of an antique grandfather clock at the top of the stairs. Caroline had searched through a few rooms before she found Klaus sitting at his drawing desk, head resting in his hands. It was the same chamber where he'd shown her his artwork the night of the ball.

"Why are you still here?" Klaus demanded, not even moving as she entered the room. "When I ordered everyone to leave that meant you as well."

"Yeah, well I don't exactly take orders," Caroline airily replied. "And someone needs to watch you so you don't go on another kidnapping spree."

"Go home, Caroline," he glowered. "Or I'll _make_ you go home."

But Caroline ignored him, choosing to take a seat on the plush maroon sofa under a large window. "I thought you said just this morning that you never intended to hurt me." She fixed him with a cool glare. "Or was that just another lie?"

Klaus finally lowered his arms, turning his chair around to face her. "What is it that you want from me? I'm in no mood for games."

"Wow, that's rich coming from the ultimate puppet master himself," she scoffed, feeling more bravado than she should. "What I want, Klaus, is for you to own up to what you did. You betrayed my trust."

He sat there, contemplating her for a while. "It wasn't as simple as that," he finally said, earning a trademark scoff from her.

"Right, so you just lied to my face about who you really were for no reason then?"

"No," he said, fixing her with an intense stare. "I wanted to get to know you without the baggage of my past hanging over me. I wanted you to see me with a fresh pair of eyes and not with the usual derision they carry when I'm around."

Caroline pursed her lips. "I'm not about to feel sorry for you because of my actions. There's a _reason_ I look at you that way, Klaus. Exhibit A," she said, waving her hand around, "feeding on that poor girl and planning to torture two of my friends because you can't make your stupid hybrid armies anymore."

"My hybrids have been part of my _life's work_," he furiously spat out.

"Then maybe you should get a better life."

Klaus sped across the room, forcing Caroline to lean back as he trapped her on the sofa with one arm pinned either side of her. His eyes bore into hers and she could see the corner of his jaw tic with supressed ire. Caroline swallowed roughly but refused to allow Klaus to intimidate her.

"You once thanked me for my honesty you know," she said quietly. "And if you really wanted me to see you differently, this isn't the way to go about it." Caroline was relieved when Klaus chose to back away and sit on the opposite end of the sofa.

She watched his fingers drum across the top of a cushion and the brooding pout that had formed on his lips. It was Tyler's body but the mannerisms were so completely Klaus that Caroline couldn't believe she hadn't picked up on anything odd earlier on. _Not that anyone should have to think their boyfriend has been body snatched by a hybrid that 'fancies' them, but still…_

"I know it's not in your vocabulary, but have you maybe considered just letting things go?" said Caroline, breaking the silence. "All this constant revenge. Doesn't it get exhausting?"

"It's how I live my life," said Klaus. "It's how I've always lived my life. You don't survive this long any other way."

Caroline played with the frayed end of a blanket draped across the top of the sofa. "I think you _do_ get tired, Klaus," she said, reiterating her previous statement. "I think you've been at this for so long that sometimes you give yourself away to the opposing team just to make things more 'interesting'. Like sending that text to Elena from Matt's phone when you could have kept quiet." She noticed he'd stopped drumming his fingers. "Or maybe deep down there was a small part of you that wanted to get caught."

The air was thick between them before Klaus broke the reverie with a short laugh. "That's not quite my style, love. I don't show mercy and compassion."

"You do with me," said Caroline, finding herself unwilling to look him in the eye. "And that's what confuses me the most." Her hands settled on her lap and she tensed when she saw Klaus's hand tentatively reach out and cover her own. Caroline felt the familiar callouses and ridges on Tyler's skin, but the sensation was entirely different in her mind when she associated Klaus with it. She pulled her hands away from his touch. "Are you willing to show Rebekah any mercy or compassion after what she did?" Caroline dared to ask, finally looking up.

Klaus drew his own hand back. "My sister knew of the doppelganger's importance to me," he said in a clipped tone.

"Yeah, but she also thought you were _dead_. Not that I'm about to condone her revenge plan, because what she did was _completely_ batshit and ruined Elena's life."

"Thus ruining mine," Klaus retorted. He stood up and went back to the desk.

"So, what? Are you going to dagger her when you see her again?" Caroline tilted her head. "Just keep repeating the same history until you finally get the outcome you want?"

"Don't presume to care about the welfare of my family and I, Caroline," scowled Klaus, trying to give her the brush off. "We both know you don't mean it."

"That's the stupid thing, Klaus," said Caroline. "There's a small part of me that does care and I have no freakin' idea why." She jumped when her cell beeped, letting her know she had a message. _I'm back from Abby's. Can you meet me tomorrow morning at 8? Need to talk urgently – don't let anyone know._ Caroline frowned, not appreciating the cryptic tone of the text, especially after the last one she'd received from her friend. She noticed Klaus peering at her, expecting news. "It's just Elena," she lied.

"We should have heard back from the witch by now," said Klaus in irritation.

"Bonnie will get in touch with us soon, I'm sure."

* * *

Laying on her bed, Bonnie saw her phone light up with a reply from Caroline. _CU at 8. Why do I feel like I shd b worried? _Sighing, Bonnie turned onto her side, curling her knees up to her chest. She'd gotten back from Abby's place about an hour ago but it had taken her this long to send Caroline the text. Closing her eyes, Bonnie thought back to the conversation she'd had with her mom earlier that afternoon.

"_This isn't something that should be taken lightly," said Abby, flicking through an old journal. "It concerns me that the spirits have gone this far to stop you, Bonnie."_

"_I don't need your concern, I just need your help," Bonnie replied. Spotting_ _the hurt on Abby's face, Bonnie felt a twinge of guilt. "Please can you just tell me what to do so I can fix things for Caroline and Tyler?" _

_Relenting, Abby turned a few more pages until she found what she was searching for. "It's not quite a step-by-step, but the elements are still there. You're going to need to perform the spell on a full moon."_

"_There's one in a few days," said Bonnie in relief._

"_And from what I can remember with something of this magnitude, you're going to need something to act as an anchor." _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Something that the two vessels share a connection with, or both value, that will keep them grounded when the switch is made." Abby smoothed out a piece of paper to copy down an incantation. "Maybe a specific item? There's a reference in here about a locket for instance." She noticed a faraway gaze on her daughter's face. "Do you have something in mind?"_

_Hating herself for even entertaining the thought, Bonnie slowly nodded. "Maybe not something… but someone."_

Continued…

* * *

**Thanks again to everyone for your continued support of this fic! It was good fun getting to write the whole gang this time around. I know there haven't been many dreams lately to live up to the title, but there will definitely be one in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Champagne glasses clinked together and excited chatter filled the grand entrance hall of the Originals' manor. Caroline stood near the bar and smoothed down her blue gown, feeling as though she was a ghost in her own dream. She could see Rebekah loitering around Matt near the front entrance. And Stefan standing alone, watching Damon and Elena embroiled in a heated exchange about something: all exactly how it played out in reality the night of the ball. So if she was re-living the past through her dream that meant…

"Did you get your drink, love?"

Caroline turned to see Klaus, hands in pockets, approaching her carefully as if she might disappear again. She fixed him with a neutral look, waving her empty champagne flute in front of him. "At least you're serving the top shelf stuff," she recited from memory. "Wouldn't want the night to be a complete waste."

He chuckled, unfazed by her brashness. "What would be a waste, Caroline, is if you didn't join me for the first dance."

"I'm not really in the mood," she replied, turning her back to him. But Klaus just swooped in front of her, undeterred.

"It would be a shame to be the only host without a dance partner," he prodded.

"Stefan's looking lonely," she retorted. "Why don't you ask him?"

"He wouldn't be half as lovely on my arm," Klaus smiled, glancing towards the sullen Salvatore. "And besides, I think Mayor Lockwood's already secured him as a date." Klaus extended his hand towards Caroline. "Come on, just one dance. Where's the harm in that?"

Caroline knew now that the term 'just one dance' held no merit, but decided to go along with it – after all, it was only a memory. With a sigh she took his hand, letting him lead her to the ballroom. They swanned around the room, exchanging words about her father and her bracelet and the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, all the while Caroline noticing that people seemed to be moving further and further away. When the time arose to change partners, Caroline twirled out of Klaus's arms but suddenly felt dizzy and came to an abrupt stop. _Dream turbulence, just like last time_, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut. _Why can't I just have normal dream crap happen to me, like being chased or falling or something? _She immediately detected a strong arm slide around her waist and another take her hand, lacing their fingers together. Opening her eyes, Caroline saw Klaus standing before her.

"Ready to pick up where we left off?" he asked, drawing her closer to him.

Caroline took in her surroundings, realizing they were now the only ones left in the vast ballroom with music their only company. _Definitely not a memory any more_, she mused, feeling Klaus's intense gaze upon her.

"It's just one dance," he gently coaxed, sensing her reluctance. "Where's the harm in that?"

"Into repeating yourself tonight are we?" she said in bemusement. "If you keep insisting there's no harm it kind of signals the opposite to me."

Klaus faltered before giving her a playful smile. "You're the one making up the rules, love," he said, turning her on the spot so she'd have to hold onto him. "I'm just here for the journey."

"Yeah, well it feels like the rules keep changing on me," she admitted. Caroline let Klaus lead her around the room in a slower, more intimate waltz than the one they were in before, Klaus never breaking their hold. Half of her felt as though she should take a step back, maybe even escape somewhere else, but the other half took comfort in the rhythmic patterns of the dance steps. It was like a calm sort of trance that soothed her inner-turmoil, even just for a few moments.

"In the spirit of repeating myself," said Klaus, interrupting the silence, "let me just say you're quite the dancer." He smiled as she scoffed at him.

"Recycling lines, how charming." She cocked her head to the side. "I bet you use that on all your dance partners."

Klaus grazed his fingers against the material on her lower back. "I haven't actually _danced_ like this in quite a while," he said in a low voice, bringing his mouth closer to her ear. "There hasn't been anyone I've deemed worthy enough until this moment."

Caroline felt a sharp jolt in her stomach as he leant back to look at her. "Well," she said, grasping around for words. "Obviously you don't get out much then." She was relieved when he broke eye contact with her and smiled.

"I could say the same for you," said Klaus, acknowledging their environment. "Perhaps I'm not the only one repeating myself tonight."

"You can never predict these things," she shrugged. "Maybe next time we'll end up on Mars."

But Caroline knew exactly why her mind had led her to retrace her steps. The ball represented one of those pockets of time where Klaus wasn't the ferocious monster they'd all become accustomed to. Loathe to admit it or not, Caroline had witnessed a different side to him that night. A side that she had trouble reconciling with him when he acted like an asshole and decided to do something horrific like kidnap her friends. This was the reminder she needed that there was at least _something_ redeemable about him. She sensed Klaus's fingers stroking the curve of her back once more as Stefan's diary entry came to her attention. _He holds her like he's one second away from pulling her close and never letting go._

Flustered, Caroline stopped dancing and tried to untangle herself from Klaus's embrace to regain control (_shouldn't I be in control already?_). But he caught her by surprise, carefully dipping her towards the ground, his face inches from her own.

"I don't think you're following the right steps," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Klaus smirked. "You know me. I don't really follow the rules, sweetheart."

* * *

The incessant buzzing of her phone alarm brought Caroline out of her slumber. She fumbled around to switch it off before stretching and taking stock of where she was, eventually remembering she was still on the sofa at the manor – and that she was going to be late to see Bonnie. She'd hung around last night, determined to do her part and keep an eye on Klaus, but she must have drifted off while he was sketching. Unwrapping herself from a soft blanket – _I don't remember putting that over myself_ – Caroline felt her body tense when she realized Klaus was no longer in the room. Cursing her inability to stay awake, she was just about to speed out when Klaus appeared carrying two mugs.

"Blood?" he said, offering her a cup. "It's from a blood bag," he added impatiently at the look on her face.

Caroline turned up her nose. "How am I supposed to know if you have someone held hostage as a human beer tap or not?"

"Because the idea of that is utterly tacky."

She shook her head, gathering her cell. "I'd probably go with tacky and, oh, I don't know, _completely wrong_."

"Where are you going?" said Klaus. "Did the witch call you?"

"No I need to get home and let my mom know I'm OK," she said, peering out the window to see that Stefan was still there in his car. "But I'm sure Bonnie will figure something out soon and this whole mess will be over."

"This particular mess at least," he replied bitterly, causing Caroline to come to a standstill in the doorway.

"You need to leave Elena alone, Klaus," she implored. "You need to leave _everyone_ alone and accept the fact that this whole hybrid thing is finished."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"… That's what I'm afraid of too."

He stood there contemplating her words before strolling over to the window, looking out to see Caroline have a hushed conversation with Stefan before racing away on foot. Klaus felt around in his pocket for Bonnie's crystal, maddened that he hadn't heard anything more from her about the spell reversal. It was getting to a point where he couldn't bare to spend one more day in someone else's skin, having violent urges to just rip away the flesh until he found some semblance of his former self. Next to the crystal sat the young Gilbert boy's ring that he'd stolen the night before, knowing he could use it as leverage at some stage. Klaus yanked the curtain across the window before sitting back down at his desk. Once he got his own body back he could move on with the next stage of his future. He glanced at a sketch he'd started this morning, hidden under some scraps of paper, of he and Caroline dancing in an empty ballroom. _A future that would hopefully contain a certain blond vampire._

* * *

Caroline sat dumbfounded on her friend's bed as Bonnie finished explaining what she'd found out from Abby. "No way," she stammered. "Nuh-uh, not gonna happen."

"Caroline, just hear me out," Bonnie pleaded. "I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea either, but you might be our strongest hope."

"I'm sorry, but no. Find some other ship, because this anchor is staying grounded right here." She planted her feet on the floor, folding her arms.

"So you're going to stay in my bedroom for all eternity then?"

"If that's what it takes then yes." She glanced at Bonnie's television. "You get HBO in here, right?"

Sympathetic, Bonnie reached out and gave Caroline's hand a squeeze. "It's asking a lot, I know. But I wouldn't have even suggested it if I thought I was going to put you in any danger."

"… So this has been done before then?" asked Caroline, looking at Abby's handwritten notes. "There are records of it and stuff?"

"Sort of," Bonnie admitted before conceding the truth. "Well, the last recorded anchor was actually a silver locket, but I mean there was nothing in Abby's journals about anything happening to it," she quickly added.

"Well no duh, Bon," said Caroline, rolling her eyes. "What's going to happen to it? Jewellery cancer?" She clutched the bedspread. "What if I turn into a toad?"

"You're not going to turn into a toad."

"You don't know that for sure!"

Understanding the fear emanating through her friend's derision, Bonnie took a calming breath and tried again. "Caroline, I don't want to make it sound like a guilt trip, but this may be the only way to set things right. Tyler and Klaus need something they can both connect to, and the common denominator always comes back to you."

Caroline lowered her head, letting a small puff of air escape her lips. "Why couldn't they both just like jigsaw puzzles or something," she muttered.

"This is the best chance they'll have to return to normal. For _Tyler_ to return to normal."

_I don't even know what normal is anymore_. Toying with the edge of one of the notes, Caroline glanced up. "Are you sure no one will be in any danger? I don't even mean just me – this isn't going to hurt anyone is it? Don't big spells like this kind of knock you around a bit?"

"I'm actually kind of looking forward to it," Bonnie admitted, her eyes gleaming. "It's a bit of a rush." She quickly shook herself out of it when she noticed the look of minor concern on Caroline's face. "Everything will be fine, I promise. So are you in?"

_Surrendering myself to the unknown or going on dates with both Tyler and Klaus for the rest of my life to make one complete boyfriend. Hmm, awesome options there. _Knowing she couldn't stall forever, Caroline eventually reached a decision. "OK, I'm in. I trust you." She pointed an accusatory finger at her friend. "But if I do get turned into a slimy frog I reserve the right to revoke that trust."

"I'll make sure you have a really cute lily pad to sit on," Bonnie smirked, ducking when Caroline threw a pillow at her.

* * *

Jeremy brought over some lunch to Elena, who had been staking out the same corner booth ever since he and Matt had began their shifts at the Grill that morning. "So are you going to babysit us for the whole day or should we expect the pleasure of Damon's company soon?" he teased, pinching one of her fries.

"I'm not babysitting you, Jer," she replied, swatting his hand away from grabbing more food. "I'm just… hanging out in the same vicinity as you two. And besides, Damon's with Tyler at his place."

"Right, just 'hanging out' like the best buds they are."

"Don't you have peanut bowls to refill?"

Jeremy laughed, wincing when the sensation made his head hurt.

"Are you OK?" said Elena, sitting forward in concern. "Do you still have a headache? I knew you shouldn't have come back today."

"I'm fine, Elena, calm down," Jeremy replied, gently rubbing the spot on his forehead where his bruise was. "Besides, I'm probably safer here in public than at home. And I've got my babysitter with me," he mocked.

"How about Matt?" she asked, looking over to where he was pouring drinks at the bar. "We chatted a bit last night but he's still keeping his distance from me."

"Matt's fine too," he reassured her. "Aside from being kept in the dark about Tyler I think. Just… give him some time, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure," Elena smiled, but it disappeared when her brother walked away. She was too busy staring at Matt to notice Caroline appear out of nowhere and plonk down in the booth next to her.

"Can I have some of these fries? Thanks," said Caroline, shovelling a handful into her mouth without even waiting for an answer.

Elena frowned. "You're going into stress eating mode. What's happened now? I mean aside from the mountain of suck you've been dealing with lately." Her eyes widened. "Did Klaus try something last night?"

Caroline gulped down her food. "Not exactly," she mumbled, pushing away thoughts of her dream. "He's just being his usual infuriating self."

"I'm scared about what he might try next," Elena admitted, curling a napkin up in her hands. "I didn't think I'd have to deal with the consequences of having him around again, y'know? And I mean I'm a lot stronger now, but nowhere near enough to take him on. None of us are." She let go of the napkin, letting the curl spring back. "I had to go to the hospital this morning and compel that girl he attacked. It was Alannah Sampson."

"Isn't her mom on the council?"

"Yep. It's just lucky Mr and Mrs Sampson were out of town on business and I could get to Alannah before she remembered anything else to tell anyone."

Caroline regarded her friend. "Is that the first time you've compelled someone?"

"No," Elena guiltily replied. "I had to do it once before when…" she clammed up, her face darkening. "Doesn't matter. Weren't we talking about you anyway?" she said, poking Caroline's arm. "What's with eating all my food?"

"Nothing," Caroline lied, not wanting to stress Elena out about the spell. "Like you said, it's just the usual pile of suckitude." Her ears suddenly pricked as she heard a recognizable voice outside. "My mom's here."

Sheriff Forbes entered the Grill, notebook in hand, accompanied by a younger man in uniform with short brown hair and green eyes. Noticing her daughter, Liz instructed her colleague to speak with customers at the front tables before making her way over. "Elena, nice to see you back," she smiled, before turning her attention to Caroline. "Were you OK last night? I didn't hear you come home."

"I'm alright, mom. I stayed at Elena's. Girly catch-up time and all that." Caroline didn't enjoy lying to her mother but it was better than the truth. _Yeah I totally hung out with Klaus all night, who by the way is living in Tyler's body now, because he tried to kill a whole bunch of people. Oh, and P.S. Elena's a vampire now too._

"I suppose Damon and Stefan told you what happened here?" The girls nodded. "I thought I'd have to go into major damage control when the victim said they'd been attacked by a classmate. Especially with those neck wounds," she said in a hushed voice. "But we've been back to the hospital and now the victim's claiming an animal attack."

"And you believe her?" said Elena hopefully.

"Of course I don't," said Liz. "But it's better if everyone else does. That's why I'm trying to conduct my own investigation as we go." She leant in closer to the girls. "You haven't heard anything about new vampires in town have you?"

The two of them shook their heads. "Everything's been pretty quiet since the Originals left town," said Caroline, keeping her voice even.

Liz nodded, flipping her notebook closed. "Well if you do hear anything please let me know." She fell silent when her workmate walked over to them.

"No one was here last night when the attacks happened, Sheriff," he said, giving a courteous smile to the girls when he saw them.

"Thanks. Caroline, Elena, this is Deputy Joel Haynes. Mystic Falls' most recent addition to the force."

The Deputy shook their hands, holding onto Caroline's for a moment longer. "Let me guess. Caroline as in your daughter Caroline, Sheriff?" he asked Liz.

"One and the same," said Liz.

"I recognized you from the photo on the Sheriff's desk," Joel admitted, making Caroline cringe.

"Oh God, that was during my gross early teen stage. I keep telling my mother to burn it." She gave her mom a glare. "We have so many nice photos at home and you chose the one where I look like Shrek?"

Joel laughed as Liz rolled her eyes. "Well I think it's very nice," he smiled, glancing at his watch. "We better head off if we want to go back to the hospital to speak to the victim's parents."

"OK." Liz paused when she noticed Jeremy and Matt from a distance. "Are the boys alright? They both look like they've got bruised foreheads."

"They're fine," Elena blurted out. "They were messing around at my place last night and bumped heads like idiots. Boys, huh?"

Liz appeared as though she wanted to ask another question but heard news from the station on her walkie-talkie. "We better go," she said. "I should be home for dinner, Caroline."

"Good to meet you both," said Joel as they walked away.

Elena nudged Caroline with her elbow. "Seems as though Shrek might have an admirer," she teased.

"Don't even go there," groaned Caroline, burying her face in her hands. "That is the last thing I need right now."

"Sorry couldn't help myself." Elena's smile faded. "How long do you think until your mom starts to figure things out?"

"Hopefully never," said Caroline, her voice muffled. "We'll just have to try and keep her off the scent.

* * *

The grandfather clock chimed signalling 1PM as Klaus sauntered down the stairs and towards the front door. He ventured outside, noticing Stefan sitting on the hood of his car with the radio set to the news.

"Well aren't we a good little guard dog?" mocked Klaus, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood before the vampire. "You do realize you're still no match for me, despite appearances to the contrary. I could have come and gone a hundred times by now and there's nothing you could do to stop me."

Stefan pursed his lips into a smile, not moving from his position. "Oh I don't know, Klaus. I seem to recall putting you in a coffin not that long ago."

Klaus took another menacing step forward. "Yes, a cowardly move at best, _mate_."

"I wouldn't say cowardly. More like long-awaited for all the things you've made us endure."

"Hmm, how does that saying go?" said Klaus, affecting a faux smile. "You say potato, I say betrayal?"

"I'm sorry, you of all people want to talk about betrayal?" Stefan scoffed. "That's really rich considering what you've just put Caroline through."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Leaping off the bonnet, Stefan came to stand in front of his foe. "So you didn't lie to her about who you were then? You didn't take advantage of her feelings for Tyler and her kind nature to suit your twisted fantasies?" He noticed Klaus's face darken. "Am I getting warm yet?"

"Don't test me, Stefan," he sneered, getting up in his face. "You won't like the outcome."

Stefan didn't flinch. "I've been watching you for a while. So how about you leave Caroline alone?"

They stood there seething at one another just as Bonnie's car pulled into the driveway with Tyler in the passenger seat. Bonnie sighed as they emerged from the vehicle. "If this is about to turn into another caveman fight, can you just save it? You're going to want to hear what I have to say, Klaus."

Unclenching his fists, Klaus turned towards Bonnie. "It's about time," he glowered.

"When the full moon occurs in two nights, I can perform the spell to switch you back," she replied. "But I need to go through the process with both of you first. I'm not leaving anything to chance." _Except for Caroline's involvement_, she thought to herself, knowing how overprotective they both were of her. _That news can wait._

* * *

Caroline felt her stomach churn as she drove to the manor on the night of the full moon. She'd spent the past couple of days alternating between calmness and then the suffocating notion that something was going to go horribly wrong. Her worst-case scenario had gone beyond toads, too. Now it was visions of growing another head or being sent down into the fiery pits of hell. _Or having my own soul sucked into one of the guys' bodies resulting in some really freaky three-way. _She turned up her iPod, trying to drown out her thoughts, but it was like her music was rallying against her too. "If I Were A Boy? _Seriously_? Thanks a bunch, Beyoncé," she muttered, pressing the off button.

Turning into the sweeping driveway, Caroline hopped out of the car and went around the back where Bonnie had told her to meet them. She could see a large circle mapped out with stones in the back garden, candles set up between every second one. Klaus and Tyler stood in the middle with Bonnie in front of them, holding her own grimoire she'd added her mother's notes to. Caroline noticed Stefan and Damon were also in attendance, keeping their distance to the side. Bonnie had told her she wanted them there in case Klaus tried something once the spell took effect.

Klaus and Tyler both sensed Caroline's presence before they even turned around. "What are you doing here, Care?" said Tyler, as Klaus stared at her in surprise.

Glancing at Bonnie, who gave her a small nod, Caroline moved towards the circle.

"I'd step back if I were you," said Damon from afar. "There's some serious witchy mojo about to happen in there. You might get your peroxide blown off your head."

"Well it's a good thing I'm a natural blond then, isn't it," Caroline retorted, stepping across the stone boundary.

"Averse as I am to even say this, the annoying twat is right, Caroline," said Klaus. "You shouldn't be here in harm's way."

Ignoring everyone, Caroline took her place between the men as Bonnie had told her to. "If I'm not here, you don't have your anchor and the spell won't work. It's as simple as that." The deadly silence lasted a few seconds before the vampires all exploded at once.

"Are you insane, Care?" said Tyler, grabbing her arm.

"Caroline, think about what you're doing," Stefan said in trepidation.

Damon scoffed out a laugh. "Have you been sniffing your hairspray again, Barbie? Worst idea ever."

Expecting another voice to be added to the chorus, Caroline turned expectantly towards Klaus. "Well?" Her bravado slipped when she saw how deeply he was staring at her.

"Don't," he said, his conflicted tone conveying more than any words could.

Swallowing hard, Caroline ripped her attention away from him and regained her composure. "If you're all done telling me what to do, then I'd like a chance to speak. This isn't just some decision I took lightly. But like it or not, I'm the best chance you've got for things returning to normal." She smiled at Bonnie. "I know I'm in good hands. So let's just get on with it."

"But…" Tyler began, but Caroline quickly cut him off.

"My decision's been made." She tried to give him a reassuring look. "It's a good thing, OK?"

None of the men were entirely convinced, but they knew nothing they said would change Caroline's mind. Bonnie took a moment to center herself before beginning the ritual. "Caroline, as the anchor all you need to do is make a connection with each vessel and just try and tune yourself into their thoughts while I chant."

"Got it," said Caroline, hoping her confident voice would be convincing enough. She felt Tyler's hand slip into her own, his thumb briefly grazing her skin as a silent thank you. Klaus then took her other hand, but instead of joining them in a simple hold like Tyler had done, he gently laced their fingers together so they were wholly connected. Caroline froze, peering at him out of the corner of her eye, but for once he wasn't looking her way.

Instructing the two men to focus their thoughts on Caroline, and for all of them to close their eyes, Bonnie started her chanting. At first Caroline couldn't feel anything except for the wind whipping through her hair, but then she felt a surge of warmth spread through her chest as memories of her and Tyler burst through. He'd focused on some sweet things, like their first kiss and hanging out at the Grill, but also a lot of intimate stuff too, like the many times they'd slept together. _Oh God, I hope no one else can see this_, thought Caroline, blushing. _Fifty Shades of Vampire Sex right here._

Those memories soon faded, though, and new ones emerged as a different feeling pooled in her chest. Where connecting with Tyler felt cozy and familiar, connecting with Klaus made her feel hot and overwhelmed… but Caroline was surprised to realize that it didn't scare her like it should. Images of Klaus appearing in her room on her birthday and letting her feed off his wrist came into her mind. That immediately changed to his point of view seeing her make her way into the Mikaelson's ball. Caroline had seen the way he'd gazed at her, not sure she could handle the responsibility of having him regard her in that way. But experiencing it from his angle was a whole other story. She blushed again, this time from the intensity of the situation. Klaus then conjured up memories of the decade dance and finding her after she'd ran from Alaric (his pure awe at her honest thank you struck another chord in Caroline). But then she became confused when Klaus began thinking about the 'You are now leaving Mystic Falls' sign and discussions about horse riding, knowing she'd only dreamt about those moments. Her entire body tensed when one final image was shared between them – Klaus dipping her to towards the ground in an empty ballroom.

He'd infiltrated her dreams.

Caroline thought she was shaking with anger, but it soon became evident that the final effects of the spell were coursing through her, causing her whole body to convulse. She could hear Bonnie's voice get louder and louder before a white light flashed under her eyelids and everything became quiet and still.

"You can open your eyes now," Bonnie gasped.

Caroline obeyed straight away, noticing thin black lines circulate around Bonnie's face. She blinked a few times to get her focus back, but by then Bonnie's complexion was clear. Feeling sick from what she assumed was suppressed rage over her new discovery, and also apprehension about the spell, Caroline chanced a look towards Tyler's body. A broad smile broke across his face.

"It's me, Care. I'm back." It was then he looked down to see how their hands were intertwined tightly together; frowning at the last form of contact Klaus had had with Caroline.

Turning to her right, Caroline unclasped her hand with Klaus's. He could see renewed pain and wrath embedded in her features, knowing exactly what had caused it. He never meant to share those secret moments with her, but became too wrapped up in the process as it went along. Not only could Caroline sense him, but he could sense her too and was astonished by the way his whole body had heated up like he was on fire. But now there was only a coolness directed his way.

Stefan and Damon made their way towards the group as Caroline continued to stare daggers at Klaus. "You… absolute, jackass," she managed to spit out before beginning to sway on the spot. "I can't believe…"

"Caroline?" said Klaus in concern, noticing her speech had become slurred.

"Don't," she murmured before succumbing to her light-headedness and fainting into his arms.

_Continued…_

* * *

**So Klaus is finally back in is own body, hooray! And to think it only took one million chapters. I hope you're all still liking the story - I'm excited about what's to come. And as always I want to send out thanks to everyone who's reading this, and especially to the lovely reviewers.**


	9. Chapter 9

_How do I turn the kaleidoscope off? _Caroline vaguely thought as her head span. _I feel like I'm trapped inside a cracked-out rainbow._ She could hear anxious voices echo nearby as swirls of patterns and bright colors continued to taunt her. Cautiously, she let her eyes flutter open, hoping her distorted vision would soon return to normal.

"Wait, she's coming to," said Bonnie.

"Caroline?" asked Tyler. "Can you hear us? _Caroline_?"

"I think people in the next state can hear you," said Damon.

"Everyone just needs to sit back and give her some space," Stefan instructed. "The last thing she needs is to be overwhelmed."

"Little too late for that," Caroline managed to utter, trying to blink everything into focus. She was reclining on a cushy sofa with a throw pillow resting under her head. A lamp in one corner projected a dim light across the room, for which Caroline and her dizziness were grateful for. She could make out two hazy-looking people kneeling next to her, and two more standing behind them. Then there was a lone figure in the background cast in shadows. Lifting her hand to rub her eyes, the images around her became clearer and Caroline got a better picture of whom the dark presence was.

_Klaus or Tyler, though…_ she thought in brief confusion. _Klaus, Tyler, Klaus, Tyler._

Puzzled by the softness on Caroline's face instead of the scorn he'd expected, Klaus took a tentative step forward, sheathing himself in partial light. When she'd fainted he'd immediately gathered her up in his arms without a second thought and sped inside to his sketch room, leaving the others in his wake. He only had time to lay her on the sofa and carefully brush some stray hair from her cheek before Tyler appeared, recklessly shoving him out of the way. Klaus had been too worried to retaliate.

"Are you OK, love?" he said, not liking the way Caroline's features slowly started to harden as reality sank in.

_Klaus_. She felt pressure in her chest. _Dream-invading, pathological son-of-a-bitch liar, Klaus. _"Don't you dare talk to me," she glared, struggling to sit up. Caroline pretended not to notice the way his shoulders slumped as he slipped back into the darkness.

Tears pooling in her eyes, Bonnie lunged forward and hugged Caroline fiercely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she exhaled in a shaky voice.

"Bon," mumbled Caroline, her mouth crushed into her friend's shoulder. "I'm alright. Or at least I was until you started using my body as a squeeze toy," she joked half-heartedly.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt," said Bonnie, finally releasing her. "I'm so sorry I put you through that."

"Hey, listen to me." She took Bonnie's hand. "The final decision was mine so don't even go there. Just tell me one thing." Caroline leant in conspiratorially. "Have I turned an icky amphibian-like color?"

Bonnie gave her a watery smile. "There's no trace of toad to be seen."

"Well that settles that then," she said warmly.

Tyler sat next to Caroline on the sofa, not noticing her flinch marginally at the contact. "I have no idea what you two are on about, but as long as you're feeling OK then I can relax."

"Everything's fine, Tyler," she reassured him. "It's kind of like having a hangover without all the fun drinking the night before."

"Sucks to be you then," said Damon, earning a glare from his brother. "What? Blondie's the only one allowed to make jokes is she?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Your compassion is overwhelming as always, Damon."

"I think we should probably go," said Stefan.

"Best idea I've heard in a while," Klaus said icily, reminding them all he was still there. "I've got things to attend to now I'm back in my rightful body, so I'm sure you can see yourselves out."

"Come on, Care, let's get you home," said Tyler, throwing an annoyed look Klaus's way. He went to drape her arm over his shoulder to help her stand, but Caroline gingerly drew herself away from him, leaving him confused.

"You still might be feeling kind of weird after the spell," she stammered. "I don't want to be a burden on you."

"I'm fine," he frowned. "You won't be a burden."

"I just don't want to take any chances," she replied, trying to smile.

Stefan curiously observed the two of them before stepping in. "Here, allow me," he said, offering Caroline his hand, who accepted it gratefully. Pulling her to her feet, he put an arm around her waist and helped her towards the door. Tyler sullenly followed along with Bonnie and Damon.

Caroline chanced a look to where Klaus had been standing but he'd already left the room. She warily held a hand to her chest. The pressure had returned.

* * *

"Do you need anything else?" asked Tyler as he watched Caroline settle into her bed. "Water? Blood? That creepy stuffed bear you sleep with that only has one eye?"

"Bert the bear is not creepy," Caroline huffed, taking the toy from her nightstand. "He's just different."

Tyler smiled. "Caroline Forbes, loyal defender of the misunderstood. You'd find a good side to anyone, wouldn't you?"

_I thought I could. _She shrank down under her covers and closed her eyes, becoming concerned when she felt the mattress sink down next to her. "Tyler, what are you doing?"

"Um, getting into bed with my girlfriend?" he replied, brow furrowed.

Caroline turned her head to look at him. "It's been a big day. I'm not really in the mood to… Get all frisky."

"Give me some credit, Care. I just want to sleep with you. Like literally sleep," he clarified, as she opened her mouth. "I've been away from you way too long."

"I know. I get it," she said, biting her lip. "But I think I just want to be alone for tonight. Clear my head and all that."

He sat up, resting his back against the headboard. "You're still picturing me as Klaus aren't you?" he said, mouth setting into a grimace.

_Yes_.

"No, that's not it at all," she lied, fixing him with a smile. "I'm just really beat. And you should probably go home and let your mom know you're back."

Tyler looked as though he wanted to say more, but gave up halfway through. Feeling a stab of guilt, Caroline moved across and offered him a small peck on the lips. "We'll talk tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," he murmured, swinging his legs around to hop off the bed. "Get some sleep, OK? I'll call you in the morning."

"I'm on it," she smiled with a mock salute. Caroline waited until she was sure he'd left the house before throwing the covers off and padding over to her closet. There was no way she was going to let herself sleep tonight. Sleep led to dreams, which led to Klaus, which led to opening herself up to more betrayal. And she was sick of the constant feeling of anger gnawing away at her stomach, so she was going to distract herself as best she could. First things first – organizing her outfits into colors. She stopped, her hand midway in the air, when she saw the first item of clothing to her left. The blue gown gifted to her from Klaus.

_It was going to be a long-ass night._

* * *

Stefan sat in his bedroom deep in thought, feet propped up on his desk. It felt like they were back at square one now that Klaus had returned to normal, ready to terrorize anyone at any given moment. Stefan wanted to stay and stake out the manor like he'd done the other night, but Bonnie had told him in secret about the crystal tracking device she'd put on Klaus when the body possession spell had begun. She'd convinced him that it was still in effect, and that if Klaus strayed too far then she'd know about it and alert Stefan. It wasn't completely foolproof, but he had to admit it allowed him more freedom.

Glancing up at his bookshelf, Stefan immediately noticed something was amiss. With a put-upon sigh, he got to his feet and went downstairs to the main room where Damon was draining the last of his scotch.

"Give it back to me," said Stefan matter-of-factly, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded.

Damon screwed up his nose. "Give what back to you?" He poured himself another drink. "Your sense of humor? Because I think that's a lost cause, brother."

"You know exactly what, Damon," he replied, ignoring his taunt. "You have one of my journals and I want it back. Now."

"Why the hell would I take one of your diaries?" he laughed. "To read your broody scribbling where you dot your i's with love hearts and quote song lyrics? No thanks."

Uncrossing his arms, Stefan ventured closer to his sibling. "You seriously don't have it?"

"No, Stefan," sighed Damon.

"Then who does?"

"God, I don't know. Why don't you ask one of the neighborhood tweens? Maybe they wanted to compare notes on their Bieber obsession."

"You're hilarious," Stefan said dryly, sinking into a leather armchair.

"Well one of us has to be." Damon sat across from him, analyzing how tense he was. "Is there something important in there?"

Stefan clasped his hands together under his chin. "Maybe. It depends who's reading it." His cell beeped, alerting him to a message from Bonnie. _Klaus still at home. No change so don't worry._ Stefan couldn't help frowning. He'd stop worrying when Klaus stopped being a threat.

"Who was it?" asked Damon.

"Bonnie with a crystal update. He's still lurking around the manor."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Can we just hurry up and desiccate him again already? He's really getting on my nerves."

"I'm glad this is all about _your_ pain," Stefan mocked. "Don't strain yourself thinking about how he's affecting everyone else."

"If you're talking about Little Miss Anchor, then she'll be fine," said Damon, taking a sip of his liquor. "She's been through the worst of it now."

"I don't think she has," Stefan mused. "There was something off between her and Klaus before she fainted tonight. And I mean more than the initial lie." He stood up and grabbed a glass to pour himself a drink, perusing the different bottles. "What did you do with the vodka?"

Damon held his hand to his heart. "I am deeply offended by all these accusations flying around tonight." He smirked. "Maybe your mystery thief is an alcoholic too? Ooh, saved by the bell," he said, fishing around for his phone while Stefan glowered at him. Damon became serious when he noticed the caller ID. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Trying not to show his discomfort that Elena decided to phone his brother instead of him, Stefan listened to their conversation.

"I wanted to know how the body swap went," said Elena. "Bonnie's not answering my calls."

"All good," Damon answered. "Tyler's Tyler again and Klaus is a dick. Everything's back to normal."

"Caroline's got to be happy about that. She said she was going to stay out of the way until everything was done."

Damon raised his eyebrows at Stefan before continuing. "If by staying out of the way you mean becoming part of the ritual and getting her ass handed to her by the spirits, then yeah. That's exactly what she did."

"What?" Elena exclaimed. "What are you talking about? Is she OK?"

"She's fine. Stupid, but fine. You'll have to get the details off her tomorrow." He took another gulp of scotch. "What we need to be concerned about is keeping you, _and everyone else_," he added in an agitated fashion at Stefan's prompting, "safe and sound from Klaus." There was no response on the other end of the line. "Elena?"

"I'm here," she said hesitantly. "It's just… I may have a solution for that."

The brothers shared a worried look. "What have you done?" Damon uneasily replied.

* * *

Candles and stones were still scattered around the courtyard at the manor, no one thinking to clean everything up after becoming distracted by Caroline's collapse. Klaus stood to the side of the circle, nudging one of the stones with the toe of his boot. It all looked so ordinary in the morning light, no trace of the power and intensity he'd experienced last night when the spell had taken effect. When he had felt that raw and unbinding connection to Caroline – one he knew she had felt too. Klaus closed his eyes, remembering the way Caroline's hand was so loose in his when the witch first began her chant. His fingers were laced with hers, but instead of gripping down like he had, she'd left her fingers outstretched as if committing to the hold was too much to expect. But as soon as his memories had seeped into her conscious he could sense a shift in both of them and Caroline had grabbed onto his hand as if was second nature.

A familiar scent in the summer breeze made Klaus's eyes snap open. He turned around slowly finding a visitor standing at the entrance to the yard.

"Niklaus," said Elijah, the briefest hint of relief gracing his usual stoic demeanour. "It appears the rumor of your demise _was_ greatly exaggerated then."

"You know me, Elijah. I like to do things on my own terms – and dying isn't one of them." Klaus smiled as his sibling approached, clapping him on the back as they embraced.

"It's good to see you, brother," said Elijah.

"And you," said Klaus. The men pulled back as Klaus's face suddenly darkened. "Is _she_ here too?"

"No," Elijah replied, placing his hands in his pockets. "Rebekah thought it best to stay away for the time being. Although she does send her love."

"Funny that my sister can speak of love when her most recent actions depict that she doesn't care for me at all," he sneered.

"She was grieving, Niklaus," Elijah pointed out. "She saw you die."

Klaus lifted his chin defiantly. "So you pardon what Rebekah did to the doppelganger? You have no qualms to speak of?" Elijah averted his eyes. "Elena becoming a vampire means _nothing_ to you?"

At the sound of Elena's name, Elijah turned back towards Klaus. "Of course I have objections, Niklaus. No one deserves to have this life thrust upon them," he said evenly. "But do you really wish to let your sister become an outcast? One of the few people who have remained faithfully by your side for all this time?"

Klaus nudged another one of the stones with his shoe before crushing it into the soil. "I've yet to decide."

* * *

Hearing cupboard doors banging open and closed in the kitchen, Liz fastened her robe over her pyjamas and went to investigate, surprised to find her daughter surrounded by cleaning products. "Caroline?" said Liz.

"Oh hey mom," Caroline replied, searching through the cupboard under the sink. "Do we still have that weird oven spray? You know the one that smells like sewerage but makes everything shine?"

"I think we ran out," Liz replied, perplexed. "Um, honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Not to put a dampener on your burst of productivity… but what on earth are you doing?" She peered at the microwave clock. "It's seven thirty in the morning."

"I know," said Caroline.

"So you thought you'd clean? At _seven thirty in the morning_," she repeated.

Caroline kept her back to her mom. "I couldn't sleep," she prudently admitted. "It was either this or make breakfast, but then I remembered my last attempt at pancakes."

Liz chuckled. "They may not have been edible but they did make wonderful Frisbees."

"Exactly."

Turning on the coffee maker, Liz leant against the bench, becoming concerned when her daughter finally stood up to face her. She looked wrecked. "Any reason why you can't sleep?" she asked, keeping her tone light. "I know I'm not always around much, but you do know you can talk to me about anything."

Caroline swallowed hard, wishing she could unburden herself to her mom, but she knew there were too many minefields to avoid. "I know," she said, plastering on a smile. "I'm fine."

"Honestly?"

"Well, I think Tyler might be back in town," she replied, offering her mom a morsel of truth. "So that'll be interesting."

Liz smiled in understanding. "I'm sure you'll be able to work something out."

"It's not that easy. And there's a few other complications too." _That's putting it mildly. _"I don't want to get into it," she added, noticing her mom's expectant gaze.

"Fair enough. But I'll tell you one thing, the Caroline Forbes I know doesn't let things eat away at her." Liz comfortingly rubbed her daughter's arm. "She's strong and she's brave and she confronts things head on."

Caroline regarded the scattered pile of cleaning products before her, smoothing her hands down on her apron. _Oh my God, _she thought, scrunching up her nose._ I'm wearing a freakin' apron. I'm moping around the house like some kind of sad, kitchen-cleaning freak… in a goddamn apron._ Giving her mom a kiss on the cheek, Caroline smiled. "You're right. I don't let things get me down." She started to flounce out of the kitchen, tossing the apron aside. "Thanks mom!"

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To get my confrontation on," she called out over her shoulder.

Liz frowned at the mess left on the bench. "Maybe pancakes _would_ have been better."

* * *

Elijah sat across from Klaus in the main living room while his brother silently drew in one of his many sketchpads. Klaus had filled him in on the main points of the body possession debacle, but Elijah knew there was a lot of information being left out.

"What is your purpose now in Mystic Falls, Niklaus?" asked Elijah, draping an arm across the back of the antique sofa. "Surely without the lure of the doppelganger you have no reason to be here."

"On the contrary, Elijah, I have my reasons to stay," Klaus replied, not looking up from his work. "None of which are any of your business."

Elijah's lips quirked, as if Klaus had amused him. "If only that were true, brother." He picked an invisible thread of cotton from his suit. "When Elena contacted me I wasn't surprised to learn you had already attempted revenge on her brother and the footballer."

"And what would your role be here, pray tell? To swoop in and play the heroic saviour absolving me of all my misdeeds?" Klaus scoffed. "That's not how this story goes."

"My _role_, as you put it, is to remind you that this chapter of your story is finished." He noticed Klaus's pencil still on the page. "There are no more hybrids to be made. You are done."

Klaus lifted his head, eyes glinting with rage. "Nothing is done until I say it is done."

Rolling his neck from side to side to release some tension, Elijah stood up and sauntered near Klaus, inspecting his sketchpad. As always there was the same young woman with long wavy hair and a dazzling smile. "Would she also be one of your reasons, Niklaus?" said Elijah, almost tauntingly. "Has the great and powerful Original succumbed to the one emotion he so furiously protested against?"

"I don't succumb to any such thing," growled Klaus, snapping the pad closed. "And you'd be wise to stop making assumptions."

Elijah just smirked, ignoring the threat. "I would if I didn't think there was any merit to them." He lightly tapped the cover of the book. "Because as far as I recall, the last time you were struck by such a muse it only ended in tragedy – for both of us." He didn't flinch as Klaus shot up, snarling at him, but the chime of the doorbell interrupted them. Klaus remained unmoved, but the bell was being pressed incessantly until he finally growled in frustration and sped to the door, yanking it open. He was about to let fly with an angry tirade when he realized who it was.

"I need answers," said Caroline authoritatively. "You owe me that much."

* * *

Once Elijah had made himself scarce (not before raising an eyebrow in Klaus's direction as if to prove he was right in his deduction), Klaus led Caroline to the room he had just been occupying. He gestured to the armchair, offering her a seat, but she simply shook her head.

"I'm not here for a cozy chat, Klaus," she said, standing her ground near the coffee table. "I just want to know why you keep playing me? How did I get to be the lucky one who keeps having her head messed with?"

"That's not what I set out to do," he replied, regarding her from the other end of the table like she'd set up her own barrier.

She snorted. "You know what? You keep saying crap like that like it's supposed to make sense. '_It wasn't my intention_'. '_It's not what I set out to do_'," she mimicked. "What the hell _did_ you set out to do? Did you think pretending to be Tyler would be fun for me?" Her voice grew louder. "That filling my head with dreams where you guest starred would make me think, 'Hmm, you know what? Klaus is a pretty awesome guy once you get to know him in your subconscious!'."

Klaus's muscles tensed. "You seem to be forgetting that you were the one dreaming about me in the first place," he said, keeping a cool façade. "I didn't just swan in and plant ideas in your mind. I went along with what was already there."

"Like you even had the right to do _that_," Caroline bit out with a laugh. "Newsflash, Klaus, being some mega ancient hybrid doesn't give you the right to control people." Her face soured with an unwanted recollection of the past – namely of her first meeting with a certain elder Salvatore. "Believe me," she said, quieter this time. "Being under the influence of something like that can haunt a person."

Her shaken appearance diffused some of the frustration in Klaus. He cocked his head to the side, trying to read her. "What memory have I invoked?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Caroline chewed the inside of her cheek, looking away from him. "Nothing I want to share. And anyway, don't think you can distract me." She folded her arms. "You need to own up to the fact that you used me – twice!"

"Despite what you think, I had no nefarious plans in mind when I visited your dreams." Klaus took a few steps around the table. "I was merely curious to know why I existed in them in the first place." He took another small step. "And while we're on the subject of curiosity, let me ask why this is bothering you so much. As you and your friends have made it very clear time and time again, I'm a coldblooded monster." Klaus came to stand directly in front of her. "Shouldn't this be what you expect of me?"

Caroline knew he was emitting his usual bravado, trying to rattle her with his mere presence, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "It _should_ be," she admitted. "I wish to God that you were still the same big bad that was just hanging around on my periphery, but you're not." She saw a flicker of confusion flit across his face. "If you really want to know why I'm here it's because I once saw a tiny speck of humanity in you. You bury it deep down like it's some shameful secret, but I saw it," she said softly. "Although now I think I was just imagining things."

Klaus could only gape at her, struck by her unexpected admission. "Caroline…"

"Save it. I need to go," she said, cutting him off. "I need to be around people I can actually trust, and you're not one of them." She went to turn when she felt Klaus grab hold of her arms, willing her to stay. Caroline lifted her own arms to unhand him, but when she touched his skin she felt a rush of heat flow through her like the night of the spell. Caroline gasped in surprise, also hearing a sharp intake of air coming from Klaus. Her whole body tingled as she looked into Klaus's eyes, his pupils dilated and rimmed with flecks of gold.

"Stay and work things out with me," said Klaus in a low voice. "You can trust me, Caroline."

She bit her lip, trying to peel away her hands. "I don't think I can."

"_Stay_," he pleaded, feeling the heat start to fade.

"Klaus." Caroline tilted her head down to their arms. "You need to let me go." Prying herself away, she ran from the manor and from the intensity of the situation with nothing but a sudden coldness keeping her company.

* * *

The front buzzer rang, letting Elena know the pizza delivery person had arrived. She had invited Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie and Matt around under the disguise of a friendly catch-up dinner. But in reality she just wanted to make sure Caroline was OK, and evidently so did everyone else.

Caroline clutched her glass of water while Bonnie and Tyler sat either side of her at the kitchen table, like some sort of smothering sandwich. They had promised to stop pestering her with questions about whether or not she was alright, but she could see the worrying looks they kept passing between each other. She was relieved when Elena and Matt returned with the pizza, Elena calling out to her brother that the food was here. The two old friends appeared more at ease with one another after sitting down to have a proper talk during the day, so that was at least something productive Caroline could count for the evening.

"Did you want a slice of pepperoni or cheese?" Tyler asked Caroline, opening up one of the boxes.

"I'm not hungry," she replied, bringing up her hand to stifle a yawn.

Bonnie observed her, noticing the way her shoulders were drawn. "Were you able to sleep last night, Care?"

"Yeah," she quickly nodded, before yawning again. "OK, so maybe not a lot of Z's were caught, but it's no big deal."

"You can take a nap here if you want?" said Elena, picking up a stringy bit of cheese. "We'll save you some food."

"I'm not a three-year-old, I don't need a nap," she said in a clipped tone.

"Sorry…"

"No, _I'm_ sorry," said Caroline with a sigh. "I didn't mean to snap." She drew her chair back. "I need some more water."

Tyler shot a worried look Caroline's way as she went to the fridge, but was distracted by Jeremy thundering downstairs to join them.

"So I know I shouldn't really ask this, but inquiring minds want to know," Jeremy grinned, scooping up two slices of pizza onto a napkin.

"What?" said Tyler suspiciously.

"On a scale of one to ten, how awkward was it going to the bathroom when you were in Klaus's body?"

"Dude!" Tyler exclaimed, pretending to heave. "We're trying to eat here."

"Don't be gross, Jer," Elena scolded, slapping him on the shoulder.

Jeremy smirked, ducking out of the way of another hit. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger, we were all thinking it."

Five heads immediately snapped around when they heard the back door slam and realized Caroline was no longer in the room. Tyler went to stand, but Matt signalled for him to stay put. "Just let me try and talk to her first, man," he said. "Please?" He smiled when Tyler reluctantly nodded at him.

Matt was relieved to see that Caroline hadn't gone far, but taken a seat on the steps of the back porch. He sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Someone tucked a dollar bill into my pants today at the Grill as a tip," he said, earning a look of surprise from his friend. "Apparently I work at a strip club now. I blame Magic Mike."

Caroline couldn't help snorting out a laugh, which made Matt smile in return. "And you're telling me this now because…?" she asked, a hint of the old sparkle returning to her face.

"Because you looked like you needed a laugh," he admitted.

"I did." She smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

Matt scuffed his sneaker against the ground. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Caroline sighed, gazing up at the sky. "Not right now."

"Well I'm here when you do."

Contemplating the star-less landscape, Caroline suddenly felt a rush of power surge through her chest. She bent over in shock, clutching her torso, feeling Matt hold onto her arm.

"Woah, what's wrong?" he said, worried. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," she exhaled, clamping her eyes closed. But when she did, visions of Klaus invaded her mind. But they weren't memories or dreams – whatever she was seeing and feeling was happening right then and there.

_Klaus entered a secret room where he kept his most precious belongings. And there was none more precious than what was before him right now. Three plastic bags filled with the doppelganger's blood that he'd managed to store away before he was attacked by Stefan, Damon and Tyler. He held one of the bags in his hand, treating it like precious cargo, a smirk forming on his face._

Caroline clawed at her chest, trying to make the feeling go away but she couldn't turn it off. The fire inside her burned brighter as Klaus thought about the small window of opportunity he had left to make his hybrids.

_Veins began to appear on Klaus's face as the scent and allure of Elena's blood swarmed his senses. It was so potent and invoking that even _he_ struggled to contain his bloodlust around it._

"Talk to me, Caroline," said Matt, shaking her arm. But he recoiled in astonishment when she snapped her head up, fangs exposed and eyes dark. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Caroline cried, fighting to regain control, but the feeling inside her was too overpowering. She craved blood. She needed blood. "Matt, _run_," she growled, skirting away from him.

"Caroline," he breathed, scrambling to his feet. "Whatever's happening just fight it."

"I'm trying, Matt… I can't!" Horrified, Caroline suddenly shot up and pinned Matt to the wall just as he was about to duck inside.

The last thing Matt saw before he closed his eyes was Caroline's fangs bearing down on his neck.

_Continued…_

* * *

**Poor, poor Caroline. She cannot catch a break. Hope you all liked this chapter! Lots & lots of thanks to everyone reading & reviewing (and to the 'guest' reviewers I can't reply to personally via PM, you're all stars too!).**


End file.
